Reborn book four: Lemniscate Espada of Eternal Oblivion
by Emerald Kitten Tail
Summary: Death...was just the beginning. She was devoured, in return she devour them. Memories are lost, memories are regained. Evolution and reforging of one own soul. Siblings fall to the pits of hell and soak in pools of blood. One forced to spy, the other struggling with sanity as he falls. This is the fate of the Kurosaki Siblings. Can they become whole in the end or die trying?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Sorry everyone for the delay, life has been rather hectic for me with college and everything. Now, I would like to say thank you to everyone that has waited so patiently for this story to happen. To be honest, i had writers block for a couple of months and had to work the story in my head with what i was writing and how it all keys together with future events. Basically, as this series goes on, it will get a lot more complicated.**

 **Now, if anyone has any suggestions for the story please feel free to message me through the PMs or if you are a guest on this site ill take it as a comment. Please no flaming, criticism is perfectly alright but flaming just makes things more difficult because most never say why they dislike what is being told and when asked they wont explain. Sometimes its over silly things like something i use for an ingredient in something (One of my Harry Potter stories had a mention Snowy owl feces because i was bored lol but i changed it eventually) or in a few cases, like stuff to do with LGBT oriented info/characters. I believe it was JustaGuestReview that commented on Wolf of Sorrows and id like to say, "okay you don't like my interpretations of characters, well im sorry? There really isn't much i can do about that. I am not much of a secondary character kind of girl. And thats just what i had Akane and Edward portrayed as. They weren't key, just background that caused little events that manipulate the story. Everything i do in these stories has a focus to the absolute end goal of our main character."**

 **IF anyone besides** **correyjeckln, sorry hun but you already know the answer to this, can guess the possible stories i'll be crossing into in the future, i'll personally send you the next chapter before everyone else gets to see it. IF you can guess the order as well, then ill continue to do so for the rest of the series. Now as for correyjeckln, you my friend, will get the second chapter for this story and the future ones for future stories, free of charge.** **See i can be nice when i want to be :P**

 **Well, i hope you all enjoy the story, and please leave a review. I like hearing from my readers.**

Sitting in her crib with her brother Ichigo, Chiyoko stared at the see-throughman above her bed. He had a loving smile on his face but sad at the same time. She knew instinctively that he wouldn't harm them but it fascinated her that she could see ghosts. Given her brother's reactions to them, he could probably see them as well but was too young to be inquisitive about the spirits.

Lifting her pudgy little fist toward the spirit, she smiled a wide grin that the man easily returned to her. He reached out to her and touched her little hand. A small tinge traveled down her arm and into her chest. It wasn't cold or anything, it was like something inside her was making contact with her soul in order for her to touch the spirit.

"Such a beautiful little child. I used to have daughter just like you when she was your age. So curious, so happy. But she couldn't see me and it hurts that she couldn't but I know I'm not of the living world any longer. All I want to do is cross over but something keeps me hear, to watch as other children grow and die like my sweet Kimiko has." Clear tears fell down his face and evaporate into blue particles as they fell from his cheek.

"Goodbye for now little one, maybe we will see one another in the future." He quickly floated out the window above her crib and into the darkness of the outside world.

Blinking at the odd departure, Chiyoko turned her mind on the last two years of her life. The last thing she remembered was going to bed with Ryoga and Nadoka but when she woke up she was once more in the body of a newborn baby. She wailed like crazy the first month as she was wracked with the loss of yet another happy life. But once she came to terms with it, she really started looking at her new family.

Her father was rather goofy and dramatic, usual liked to whine about things when either of his first-borns ignored him. From what she learned he ran an emergency clinic that was attached to their house and when he did his job he was utmost serious. He was rather tall with spiky black hair and a few whispers of facial hair on his chin. He had warm black eyes though.

Her mother on the other hand was beautiful. She had Strawberry blonde hair and brown eyes with soft facial features. She was kind and gentle with them but Chiyoko also noticed that she wasn't a fan of sticking to traditions and was very protective of those she loved. From what she noticed in the last two years of life her mother was a stay at home mother, which while not a bad thing it was definitely something she could ever do.

Looking over the bars to her crib she wondered what was going one outside of her room. She could hear arguing of some sort coming from her parents but she couldn't hear it to well. Leaning forward she pushed herself up onto her little feet and grabbed onto her edge of her crib. With more motor control than most five-year-olds she swung her body over the other side before slowly lowering herself down to the floor.

Once she had her feet firmly on the ground, she made her way to her bedroom door. Concentrating on the shadows around her she willed one to wrap around the door knob. With a quick twist and pull she had the door open.

Perhaps she should explain that one. For whatever reason, since Thalia hadn't lived long into her last life due to her death, she for some odd reason got her soul items early than she expected. Of course, this severely startled her new parents when they came into her room the next morning to find their daughter with a metal arm, strange markings all over her body, as well as animal tail and ears. Thanks to this they had called over one of their friends with blonde hair and a bucket hat. They did some weird scans of her body and the bucket hat man said they were manifestation of her soul. She really didn't understand how he knew that but she put it off as something that she wouldn't be told of until she was much older. They probably didn't even think she could understand them at two years old.

Peeking her head out in the hallway she tried to figure out where they were. The sound kind of bounced around a bit in the house but it sounded like it was from downstairs. Shuffling her body towards the stairs she sat down and scooted down one step at a time. With each bump, she got a little farther down.

She was about halfway down when she was able to make out what they were saying but she was going to keep going down anyway.

"We don't even know why they appeared, Isshin! Urahara said it was because of her soul but what if it's because of our powers! Or even the Hollow that was trapped inside my soul! I know you can't but I can already feel her Raishi. And its strong, really strong, but it doesn't feel like anything I've ever felt before. Hollow, Quincy, or Shinigami! Were lucky nobody has come by to figure out what it is!" her mom yelled out with agitation laced deeply in her voice.

"It doesn't matter what it is, love. She's our daughter, a mixture of Quincy and Shinigami. There is no way to tell how her powers will develop, if she ever even learns to harness them. It could be that her soul didn't want her to be at a disadvantage and took those forms to help her in some way. They might not even mean anything."

"But those marking on her chest looks like some of the Quincy of legend had! And those black swirls on her arm seem like hollow markings. Urahara couldn't figure it out but what if she's something new or a mixture of all three? She could go insane because of all those mutations. I don't want to lose my baby to herself!"

Finally getting at the bottom of the stairs, she walked into the living room to find her mother being held in her father's arms as she cried. Oddly enough something inside of her told her to keep her true origins from her family for the time being. She didn't know why or what gave her this feeling but she knew it had to be important somehow. But that didn't mean she still couldn't love them.

Walking towards them she wrapped her little arms around her mother's leg in the best hug she could give. Her mother pulled her face away from her father's chest and looked down at her. A smile came to her lips instantly.

"Oh Chi-Chan, how did you get down here?" smiling a shy smiling at her parents she buried her face into her Kaa-chan's calf. Her parents looked at one another and smiled. Bending over her Kaa-Chan scooped her up in her arms and cradled her against her breast. "Did mommy and daddy's yelling wake you up?" she shook her head no seeing as she had never fallen asleep, "Oh were you being naughty and not going to sleep like a good girl?"

Giggling she bobbled her head up and down, making her parents laugh with her.

"Well I guess naughty girls don't get to read her books tomorrow."

She lifted her head up of her mother's bosom and stared at her father in horror. She had 'started' reading a few months ago and had quickly made her way through them so she could get to the interesting ones as fast as possible.

Of course, that had instantly made her parents think she was super smart, which was true, but she had to or she would be to bored waiting to grow up. That was the major issue with being born as a baby and not just being awoken when they become ten or something.

Her Kaa-Chan laughed at the look she was sending her father, "Oh yes, naughty girls don't get to read for being naughty."

She pouted when her mother just mirrored her father's words. Turns out even nice parents could be cruel at times.

0/0

Tightening her training Gi she looked at her friend Tatsuki as they waiting in the dojo girls changing room. Her friend was cute even at nine years old but she kept her appearance that of a tomboy. Her hair was shorts and spiked out away from her face on the sides and she usually had her hands covered in bandages from busting the skin on her knuckles after practicing too much or hitting the dummy wrong. She was friendly though and often claimed that she made her brother Ichigo cry the first time they fought together in the dojo. It wasn't hard to see since they had only been four years old at the time but teasing him about it five years later was still kind of funny, especially because Ichi-nii still gets flustered about it.

"Are you ready for today Suki-Chan?" Tatsuki sent her a look for the nickname but she had been using it for so long now that she didn't let the glare bother her.

"Yeah and I plan to win!" the girl pumped her first up in the air and some other girls groaned, an excited Tatsuki is a painful Tatsuki. Giggling at her friend's words she nodded in acceptance, this was a fairly common thing for the girl to say before any of their karate tournaments but it didn't always happen. In fact, to her knowledge her best friend only won twice in the last five years of practicing, the rest were second place, and that was because she simply couldn't beat Chiyoko and only won when she couldn't make it to the tournament.

"Get a move on girls, matches start in three minutes." The dojo master called in to them. A collective sigh escaped the girls before they finished getting dressed and headed out.

The dojo was in actuality a warehouse with bleachers on the sides for parents to sit on and mats placed all along the floor. The only reason why it was in a place like this was because over the last ten years apparently purchasing or even renting a space big enough for a dojo was extremely expensive and the master could only afford this one and manage to live with it as it was. Why a warehouse was cheaper was anyone's guess but it was and that's what mattered.

Looking at the bracket she quickly found her name under the A section. So, she'll be in the section near the boys changing rooms. She didn't bother reading her opponents name seeing as the ref would say it at the beginning.

Strolling over she spotted her Kaa-Chan sitting in the bleachers with little flags saying Ichigo and Chiyoko. Waving at her mother, which got her a warm smile in return, she stepped up to her mat and sat down.

"All contestants to their mats." The master called out and they quickly got into place. With her tail wagging behind her she hopped to her feet.

Her opponent was a boy of at least twelve years of age with strong looking arms. He had bandages wrapped around his lower face with a pair of glasses on his nose. She didn't know it but he also was missing a few teeth from trash talking to one of the local gangsters and got himself beaten up. He took up his fighting stance and she could instantly pick out all the incorrect points in it. It was extremely distasteful.

The second his eyes landed on her they widened, "Oh shit, why do I have to fight the freak!?" his voice broke a bit as he talked but she only glared at him harder. She really didn't like being called that to her face.

The ref ignored his words but took a few extra baby steps back, it was fairly common knowledge that she beat up anyone that dared say that right in front of her.

Staring at the idiot, she slipped into a fighting stance and nodded to the ref. He looked at both of them one at a time before raising his hand.

"Ready? Begin!"

As soon as the fight started the older boy charged her like an ape in a china shop. Swinging his fist at her face, she quickly did a back flip and kicked him in the jaw at the same time. There was a decent cracking sound as her bare foot connected with her face, making a smirk appear on her face.

Landing on her feet in a slight crouch she watched as the boy fell backwards, having lost balance at the blow, and landed on his back rather heavily. He didn't move besides to clutch his jaw in pain as he whined. After not getting up in time the judge called her match.

"Winner: Chiyoko Kurosaki!"

There were some cheers from the crowd, apparently, the boy wasn't their biggest fan. The boy's father ran down to their mat and picked him up and placed him back onto his feet.

"Don't worry son, you'll get that freak next time." He said loudly, making her glare at them the entire time before they scurried out of the dojo to get the boys jaw checked out.

Seeing as she had to waiting for her next match until the first ones were all done she went over to her brother since he was sitting on the sidelines.

"Nice kick Chi-nee! That jerk deserved it, nobody calls my little sister names and gets away with it!" he yelled out with a massive grin on his face. Giggling, she gently gave him a little push to the side as she sat down.

For the next hour, she watched as different kids all fought at various degrees of skill. Most of the kids that had trained for a few years straight had some skills, Tatsuki and herself being an obvious example, while in a few cases it was like throwing two monkeys a single banana and watching them fight over it until one goes down, like her first opponent.

Ichigo went up shortly after she finished her own fight and she thought that he was definitely improving. He still lost but he put up a good fight and showed that he had skill. Unfortunately, his opponent was on the larger side of equation and had lots of fat to absorb any of her brothers blows. They definitely weren't in the same weight bracket but the master liked to give them a challenge and while Ichigo was a disadvantage in strength, he had a leg up in speed. So, the fight was whether he could last long enough to tire out the big guy while the big guy had to learn to increase his reaction times and not put his entire weight into his throws. Either way it was a good lesson for both of them.

Tatsuki was in a situation like her own fight. The difference was that instead of her opponent complaining that he was fighting a girl with animal parts, he complained that he had to fight a girl. This turned out to be his undoing. Just as everyone knew now to call her names to her face, they also knew that to underestimate Tatsuki because of her gender was a big no-no. The kid thought he'd finish it in once punch and when he threw it Tatsuki slipped in under her guard and fired rapid punches into his gut with a final jump kick to the side of his head. He went down like a sack of potatoes and was making it rather obvious to all that was there that you don't make fun of any of the girls in this dojo.

At the same time, out in the courtyard of Tokyo prison Genma Saotome Sneezed into the face of the leaders of the most violent Prison gang. This lead to the panda getting his arms and legs broken in retaliation. Neither inmate nor guard bothered helping him, his crimes were well known throughout the prison.

Blinking a few times Chiyoko wondered why she just got this sudden feeling of joy through her entire being. Shrugging it off she stood up to go take place into her last fight of the day.

"Okay girls, I want a clean fight. No hair pulling, scratching, or biting understood?" the ref said in an absolutely serious tone.

Both Tatsuki and Chiyoko's faces twitched at the ref's words. It was like he expected them not to take this seriously and act like it was some common cat fight between sorority girls. Both girls took in deep breaths to keep themselves from jumping the idiot for his words and showing him just what they could do.

Together they slipped into fighting stances. Chiyoko ran her eyes up and down her best friend's figure. There weren't many holes in her stance but her body was supremely tense which may increase her reaction time but it also made it harder for her to change up her moves as fast as she needed.

Tatsuki on the other hand was staring at her friend with worry in her heart. It wasn't used often but whenever they fought in the finals of a tournament Chiyoko would use a completely different form of martial arts. The problem was that it was a blend of many different fighting styles, some she didn't even recognize, and when she asked her friend what it was called she simply smiled and said _Anything Goes_ like it explained itself perfectly.

"Begin!"

Jumping at her friend, she quickly dropped to kick her feet out from under her. Luckily for her Tatsuki managed to jump over her friend's foot and launch her own in return. Seeing the foot coming at her Chi snapped her hand out and grasped it before throwing it to the side and making her friend turn in midair. Waiving her arms in an instinctual response to losing her center of gravity being thrown for a loop Tatsuki quickly ended off on her hands and knees with her back bent like a bridge.

"Awe Suki-Chan! Are you fighting or practicing your dance moves?" she asked her friend in a cutesy voice. She smiled when her friend growled at her and the Ref backed up even more.

"I'll show you dancing!" It was rather ironic when Chiyoko was the dancer between the two.

Tatsuki seemed to flicker out of reality before appearing behind her friend and releasing a kick at the middle of her back. Smirking Chiyoko quickly jumped up over her friends kick and wrapped her legs around the other girl's head.

"Gotcha Suki-Chan" Said girl's eyes widened when she realized what was happening, she hadn't even felt it happening.

Still in midair, Chiyoko threw herself back, forcing them to flip in the air. She made them go a little further than usual because she didn't want to bash her friends head into the mat, instead it was her back. The crowd winced as one when it finally ended with the bushy tailed girl slammed the other one into the mat with a heaving crash. To most of them the last thirty seconds was nothing but a blur.

Lifting herself off her friend's chest, she offered her a hand to pull it up. Tatsuki almost wanted to glare at her friend and get up on her own but Chiyoko did win fair and square. Grasping hands Chiyoko pulled her friend easily on her feet before bowing to her which Tatsuki quickly returned.

"Winner and Champion of this month's tournament: Chiyoko Kurosaki!"

"Yaaaaay!" Cheering Chiyoko glamped her best friend and started jumping up and down in delight. Tatsuki tried to act all tough but it didn't last long under her friend's enthusiasm. Soon both girls were bouncing up and down, giggling and cheering. Ichigo even cheered from their mother's side while Masaki just smiled at them all and softly clapped her hands in cheer.

As the pair finally calmed down Tatsuki gave her friend one last hug.

"We're still hanging out tomorrow morning?" the raven-haired girl asked. Bobbling her head Chiyoko remembered them planning the meeting a few days ago.

"Yup! At the football field, right?"

"Yes"

"Kay, I'll be there, Bye Suki-Chan!"

Splitting up Tatsuki ran towards her father, who had been waiting the entire time for them to finish with the master near the entrance to the dojo. They shared a hug before Tatsuki ran outside into the pouring rain and her father followed her with her coat in his hands.

"Let's get going before it really starts pouring, kids." As one both Kurosaki children nodded and took their coats from their mother. In an instant Ichigo and her were dressed and sort of warm, her brother in a bright yellow one and herself in a bright green.

Holding their mother's hands, they left for the night, only stopping briefly to say good bye to the master.

The second the trio stepped foot outside the door they were blasted with cold wind and water. Their mother clung to their hands even harder and started pulling them down the road. They didn't get not ten minutes away when Ichigo cried out.

Snapping her head toward her brother she noticed him staring at the canal. Following his line of sight, her own eyes widened when they landed on a young girl standing on the side of the river bank.

"Ichigo!" her mother yelled out.

Whipping her eyes back onto her brother, she found him running down the side of the hill towards a girl. Her mother instantly reacted, letting go of her own hand, and ran after him. Not having much of a choice, she went after the both of them.

The hill was slippery under the rains assault but she managed to get hold of her footing. Seeing her mother about to reach her brother, she sped up as much as she could in order to reach them. Just as she was about to reach her confused brother and upset mother a shadow covered her form.

Spinning on her heels to see what it was she screamed in fear. It was a freaking monster with a white mask and a body of seaweed and a dangly thing on its head. It roared in her face before grabbing her around the waist and lifted her up in the air.

"Kaa-Chan! Nii-chan!" she screamed as she kicked this thing in terror and it only laughed. Crushing her terror, she summoned her chain blade and stabbed it in the creature's hand. Or at least tried to but it phased right through it. She was so shocked that she dropped her blade upon the soaking ground.

Both of her family members turned and looked on in terror at the sight of Chiyoko floating in midair. Masaki instantly realized what was going on but she was drained from her powers suddenly being ripped from her, there was nothing she could do. If that Hollow's soul hadn't merged with one of her babies she would have already been dead from that.

"Nee-Chan" Ichigo screamed out and ran past his frozen mother in hopes of saving his sister. But it was too late. Then all of a sudden, a black space ripped into reality before Chiyoko was chucked into the black void. Tears ran down his face as his little sister disappeared into the darkness. "Noooo! Nee-Chan!" So wracked with grief, he didn't notice the void lunge at him as well. The last thing he knew before getting bashed in the side and falling unconscious was a scream and something wet splattering on his face. Not far from them was the handle of his sister's mysterious weapon.

Chiyoko screamed even louder when the beast suddenly opened its mouth wide to reveal a black void. Terror shaken she could do nothing as the creature sudden moved its arm and throwing her face first into its mouth.

As soon as she entered it maw the darkness attacked her. IT wasn't a physically thing but a spiritual and mental action. Gritting her teeth, she tried to fight back but she didn't know how. Then something inside of her jerked and she felt herself being pulled from her own body. A chain sprouted from her chest and it lead back to her body which was rapidly evaporating into blue particles that the darkness quickly consumed.

It was instant and eternal all at the same time. With each inch of her body evaporating memories of her past started disappearing one at a time.

First were the ones as Haruka and all of her achievements. The time she spent with her family, raising Zandre on her own and finally being forced to tell Nadoka before school started again. Her sexual nights with either of Ryoga and Nadoka and the feels that filled her during those moments. Her friendships with Ukyo, Nabiki, Alex, Gabe, professor Willard, and the amazons. The hours she spent training her Ki, body, and mind with Happosai. The entirety of her training trip with Genma and Ranma. The Jusenkyo curse and her year at St. Hebereke's School for girls. Becoming Grandmaster of Anything Goes Martial arts.

After that her years as Elfriede were being wiped away. Learning the Automail craft under Granny Pinako with Winry. Her love for Von Hohenheim. Helping Allie become who she really was inside. Years of teasing Edwards and Colonel Mustange with the help of Allie and his team. Thalia's decent into doghood and the puppies she had as a result. The rebellion against Fuhrer Bradley and the Homunculus father. Her children.

Then her life as Persia slowly become lost to her. Her childhood with her mother and the development of her love for blood and raw meat. The years she spent training in Ballet with Nathan, and then Nathan's leaving. Her friendships with DJ, Nico and Bianca di Angelo, and Derick blanked in a flicker of an eye. Her summers at camp Half-blood and meeting the first love of her life, Dionysus. The adventures she went on to protect the camp and helping the Greek Gods. Saving Zoe and getting Thalia turned into a wolf. Her pregnancy with twins at the hands of Dionysus and her defeating of Kronos. Spending years redoing her boat. All her weapons training in fencing, throwing knives, Archery, and with her chain blade.

Cecilia's were disappearing just as fast. Her years of training as a hunter in order to survive in the wild. The continuous sexual assault on her body under the hands in numerous forms. The children she birthed and the ones they birthed under herself and the actions of either her sons or a titan. Designing her home to fit her needs by trading sexual acts with the titans. Being submissive to their wants and demands. Her love for her creators and the consequential despise that festered under their hands when she was given her first name.

And finally, her time as Chiyoko. The times she played with spirits as a baby and babbled with her brother in nonsense. Showing her love for learning and being accepted by her parents when her soul awaked fully in her current body. Listening in on her parents as they talked about Quincy, Shinigami, Hollows, and that she was a mixture of all of them but not knowing the results of such a being. The years of learning karate with her brother and Tatsuki. All the sleep overs between her and Suki-chan. Yuzu's love for family and cooking. Karin's passion for football and her happy laugh as she played with their father. Ichigo and his desire to anything to protect people, as well how easily he showed his emotions. Her father Isshin and his goofy actions and love of healing. And her mother…her mother's warm smile.

All of it, everything that was her was washed away from her. Leaving her a shell of her former self, nothing but an empty spirit. A hollow being. And then the pain came.

It was gut wrenching and horrible. Her face hurt like something fierce and her body felt like it was about to explode. Then it all stopped.

Blinking she wondered what was going on. Than something started coming up her throat. Screaming she held her face as the liquid flowed out of her mouth, nose, ears, and eyes. It hurt and it slide under her fingers before pushing outward and hardened over her skin.

Breathing heavily through her nose she slumped down to her knees. Her face felt weird and elongated, especially around her mouth. She could also feel more teeth inside her mouth and they were definitely sharper.

A zap of energy zipped across her skin and more of that fluid started coming out of her mouth. She didn't even bother trying to fight it and just bared though it. Her insides shifted around and her bones cracked and reformed into new shapes. Falling forward she landed on a pair of legs that definitely weren't the arms she had seconds ago. They were also covered in some hard-black material that blended in to the void around her. With wicked sharp claws extended from her paws

Her back-legs shifted and cracked. Her legs pointed down and her tail draped over her backside as what she knew was her butt was pointed outward. Stretching out and opening her mouth she tried to call out for anyone but all that came from her lips was a bark.

Pausing she looked down in confusion. Was she not able to talk? At the sound of a sharp growl coming from her own throat she had to take that as a yes.

Hoisting her new body up she took a small step. The moment her paw touched the ground her leg gave out and she flopped forward. Whining lightly, she forced herself back up and tried again. She didn't know who or what she was anymore but she would figure out how to bloody move!

One step at a time she went. Sometimes she would stumble and fall if she went faster than she was ready to but she got back up and kept at it. Eventually she was able to run around at least somewhat fast and turn while doing so. A full out sprint was not going to happen anytime soon though.

Just as she was about to stop moving the world around her seemed to ripple before the very reality ripped apart and she found herself in a dark forest. Sniffing the air, she smelt the revolting yet enticing scent of blood and death. Snarling her teeth, she walked on, trying to get an idea of just where she might be.

Looking up she could see the trees going up into the darkness. There wasn't anything on the trees, just lots and lots of branches. Approaching the nearest trunk, she scratched at it with one of her paws and looked on in wonder as her claws easily sliced into the hard rock tree. Pulling her claws away, she amazed at the feeling of them grinding against the insides of the tree. Lowering her head to inspect her paw she was completely shocked to see as gleam shining of the underside of the claws. She had somehow sharped them even more by doing that.

After repeating the action with her other paw, she made her way away from the trees. Whatever had put her here probably would send something to attack her and she did not want to fight anything at the moment, especially when she didn't have a clue what was going on.

She wandered for what felt like hours until she came upon a cliff side. Looking up the side of it she couldn't see anything besides sharp edges. It would be perfect to build a place for her to stay.

Digging her claws into the rough mountain side she took an uneasy step up. And then another. With each consecutive step, she got just a little bit more confident in her ascent to the point where she was running up the side of the mountain with her claws quickly going in and out of the rocky surface.

Panting for breath on a ledge she googled as she looked over the side and saw that she must have been as least a hundred feet up. She didn't think many creatures could get to her unless they used those trees, climbed up like she did, or could fly.

As she laid there she noticed that she could feel some sort of energy flowing into her from the air around her. It was rather bizarre to feel but it seemed to refill her and make her less tired from her climb. It made her wonder if there was a way to store more of it inside her body or gain more of her own?

Deciding she could figure that out later, at the moment the energy she was absorbing would be enough for her. Yawning heavily, she felt her eyes starting to drop. Mental exhausted, if not physically, she curled into a ball with her back against the Cliffside and let her body fall asleep.

0/0

Ichigo stared off at nothing as he sat at the police station with his father's arm draped over his should and holding him close. His body was still covered in his mother's blood and he refused to let go of the blade his sister made appear out of nowhere before she was thrown into that void of darkness. He had tried to explain to the police what happened but for some reason they just wouldn't believe what he was saying. One cop suggested he was trying to cope with what really happened and his mind came up with something crazy to replace it. When they tried to take the weapon from him, his father thankfully was able to stop them once he heard that Chiyoko made it appear from thin air. He didn't say why but Ichigo had a feeling that his dad wanted to keep it as a reminder of his daughter.

"Kurosaki?" a male voice called out.

Both Kurosaki males looked towards the source and Ichigo wasn't sure what to make of the grey-haired man with glasses and fancy suit.

"Ishida-san" his dad called out in a strained voice. The man's face instantly softened a touch.

"The police have decided not to detain you two any longer. Go home, get cleaned up, and get some sleep. You can decide what to do in the morning." Dad stared at the man for a long second before sighing heavily and nodded.

Seeing his dad stand up Ichigo quickly hopped onto his feet and clenched the blade to his chest, not even caring that people were giving him weary glances because of his appearance. His father gently laid a hand on his shoulder, as if to make sure he was still there, before gently pushing him towards the exit.

"We'll speak more tomorrow afternoon, you have my number." The man called out as they passed but neither Kurosaki showed that they had heard him. Given that he didn't call out again he must have known that they heard.

Dad had taken the family car to pick him up at the police station and once they reached it, both slid inside. Once they were buckled up and moving Ichigo turned his focus onto the weapon that was in his lap, completely ignoring the blood on his clothing and hands.

It was a rather pretty blade if he didn't say so himself. The main part of the blade was a dark green color with a pitch-black edge. In the center of it was a wave design made of some kind of stone and the handle was pure black. When he jiggled the handle, he popped off the top part. For a second, he freaked out inside, thinking that he had broken the last thing he had of his sisters, but when he pulled the handle a little bit farther away he was astounded to see a glittering dark chain connected to the blade from the handle. He wasn't sure how far it went but he wasn't going to try it.

Running his fingers over the smooth metal he wondered where his sister might have gotten something like this but he was coming up blank. The only time he didn't hang out with her was when she was with Tatsuki-Chan and that was because he didn't want to spend time with two girls, sisters are different than friends. And even if she got it from somewhere else, where had she stored it until she pulled it out tonight?

"Dad?" his dad looked over at him and tried not to focus on his wife's blood all over his child's body.

"Yes Ichigo?" his voice was strained still but Ichigo didn't pick it up this time.

"Where could have Nee-Chan gotten a sword like this? Or even put it until tonight? She didn't have it on her when we were attacked."

Isshin looked over the blade once more. It was one of the most beautiful and irregular weapon he had ever come across. And that was saying something because he used to be a Shinigami caption and their blades were always weird. With its odd coloration, the chain, and the utter feeling of power it gave off he would have to say it was a Shiki of some sort but not one he had ever felt before. Not Shinigami, Hollow, or Quincy but something else. Almost Godly if he had to take a guess. But that was impossible, the only thing he knew of that was even close to being a god was the Spirit King and he was pretty sure he wouldn't give a weapon to his daughter, especially not after he abandoned the Soul Society.

"I don't know son, did she say anything before it appeared?" he had to be sure, for all of their sake.

Shaking his head Ichigo wondered why she would have to say something for it to appear, it steamed kind of silly to him.

"No, she was just scared and screamed. Then she was swinging it down at the ground and let it go. She was thrown in that black void thingy right after that. Do you know what happened to her, dad?" he asked innocently with grief driven curiosity.

Wincing internally Isshin shook his head in denial. It hurt him deeply when his son's static face dropped a little as sadness came to him. He should tell the child about the spirit world, he already knew that both of his eldest could see pluses, but he didn't want to get them involved while they are still living. It was bad enough that Chiyoko got devoured by a hollow and wouldn't get to the Soul society until someone killed it and released her soul. Clenching the steering wheel, he promised that if he ever got his powers back that he would tear that vile creature to shreds for killing his wife and daughter. He wouldn't have it any other way.

"We're going to have to tell Yuzu-nee, Karin-nee, and Tatsuki-Chan what happened aren't we?" his soft voice filled the car. Sighing Isshin nodded once. "I don't think we should tell them that Chi-nee was thrown into some black hole." Pursing his lips, Isshin really didn't want to think about this but for his children he will force himself to.

"No, I don't think they would believe us. We're going to go with the story the police put together." Tears fell from his eyes just thinking about the story they police speculated to him, he honestly didn't know which was worse, the fact that his daughter was eaten by a hollow and wife killed or that his wife died protecting them against a predator and the killer got away with his baby girl. Honestly, if he had to put it down to a simple choice, he would pick the hollow. At least they were quick about it and didn't destroy their targets emotional, mentally, or physically. Eating them notwithstanding.

Staring out the window, Ichigo tried to picture what the police said his might have been taken for but he just couldn't understand what it was they had been talking about. What could an adult man do with a little girl? It just didn't make any sense to him. What really happened made much more sense than the polices' ideas.

When they finally arrived home Ichigo went up to his room, a room that he would no longer share with his sister, and only stopped to put her weapon on her bed before going to his own bed with silent tears and sniffles at all that he lost within the span of a few minutes. All because he wanted to stop that girl from falling into the river and he couldn't even do that.

Downstairs meanwhile, Isshin was sitting on the couch clutching a bottle of sake in one hand and a picture of Masaki and Chiyoko smiling together. Soft sobs of utter anguish escaped his throat as he sunk into a night of despair as he finally let his emotions run freely. He felt so useless and unsure of what he would do now that two of the lights of the Kurosaki family wouldn't never be returning.

0/0

Waking up Chiyoko stretched her body out, enjoying the feeling of her back popping as she yawned a monstrous yawn. Giving her body a little shake to get the kinks out she wondered just what she should do today. She could wander around some more but then she might lose her new resting place and not be able to find it again.

Extending her senses, she tried to pick up on any sign of nearby life but she didn't catch anything relatively close. There was something fighting far off in the forest making a bunch of noise but it was a few dozen miles from her at least.

Turning her eyes onto the mountain, she wondered if she could do anything with it. She already knew that her claws were sharp enough to pierce into it. But would they be strong enough to Dig into it as well? Well there's only one way to find out.

Walking over to Cliffside she gently started to scratch at the rocky surface. They sank in rather easily and when she kept putting on force to pull out, small chunks came with. Smiling a doggy smile, she yipped in delight before going at it full force.

It must have been hours since she started but she managed to dig out a whole big enough for her to stand up in rather comfortably. IT slopped down slowly from the entrance into something resembling a room or den. It wasn't much but she was fine with that. Maybe later she would make it bigger and add tunnels with other rooms and exits, so in case she got attacked she could escape unnoticed.

Thankfully for the black armored wolf, whatever it was that she had become it didn't seem to need to eat anything nor drink to sustain itself. She didn't even feel the need to go to the bathroom, or even if she could in this weird armor plating.

Sitting down on her back hunches, Chiyoko decided that since she now had something of a home, she could go out into the forest and check things out. Maybe meet some other creatures and figure out just where she was.

Climbing out of her home and onto the small ledge she listened around. The sounds of crashing and snapping filled her ears almost instantly. Whatever had been fighting earlier had migrated close to her location. Looking out into the forest, she focused her eyes in an attempt to see just what it was.

 _Tree…tree…. tree…rock…. tree…what the heck is that!?_

No less than thirty yards from the base of the mountain there was a creature fighting against what looked like a massive Parakeet. The first creature that freaked the bigamies out of her had what looked like tentacles for legs, a snake's body, and a demented hippo shaped mask on its face. It wasn't moving all that fast because of it bizarre body type. Both of them were covered in cuts and looked rather delirious at this point in their fighting. Suddenly feeling hungry, Chiyoko decided that they would definitely make a nice snack if nothing else.

Creeping down the rocky Cliffside she kept to the shadows and low to the surface in an attempt to avoid detection. Once all four of her paws were firmly on horizontal ground, she made a short dash for a tree. The Bird creature had managed to wrap its claws around the others snake like body but it was useless in picking it up. While the Bird was large for its apparent species it didn't look no more than three times the size of a normal one. If the hippo thing could just get its tentacles or snake body around its torso it could probably squeeze it to death.

The Hippo masked creature seemed to have gotten fed up with its attacker and lifted its front half before It turned around and rose above the bird's body. Opening its maw, it came down with crushing force onto the birds own mask. It squawked once before stilling. It happened fast but from the bottom upward started breaking down into blue particles and flew into the hippo's mouth. When the bird was entirely gone, it gave a heavy swallow like its mouth was fully.

Chiyoko stared at the scene before her trying to figure out what had just happened. From what the young wolf could tell, these creatures run off that blue energy stuff and they can get more of it by killing and eating other creatures. She seemed to run off some kind of energy in the air but if she wanted to get more of it she would half to kill other creatures of her own kind. A spark of sadistic pleasure shot up her spine and a grin came to her canine face.

Crouching low to the ground she slowly snuck up to hippo creature. It seemed to be just lazing there now that it satisfied its self with its kill. Paws falling gently upon the forest floor she looked over the creature just a bit more than before.

Its legs were like that of a quadruped with two in the front and two near the back. Snake body was at least 24 feet long from head to tail but the tentacles were placed were it had about six feet of length for the tail and the neck going to the head. It was slow and uncoordinated from what she saw earlier. Getting an idea of what she could do she put it into action.

No less than four feet away from the creature she leapt into the air and sank her claws deep into its back. A ghastly wail escaped its mouth but she ignored it. Ripping into it with her claws she gorged out chunks of scales, flesh, and stomach. It tried to fend her off but she had positioned herself right in the center of its back where it didn't have the mobility to get to.

Blood soaked her entire front as she kept rendering the creature into chunks. It felt so good to her to sink her claws into something and watch as it bleeds and wailed in pain. Finally, after only two minutes of gorging she sliced through the last layer of flesh and the creature sliced in half. Bloody entrails of its insides gushed out of its now broken body and the hippo finally stopped moving.

Then like before the body began to break down into blue light. As it entered her maw, her eyes widened at the sudden influx of power. It was like she was on empty before and now she was almost full. At that moment, a hunger awoken inside her and it wanted more… so much more!

Howling to the world around her she broke off into a run, grinning at the thought of devouring more creatures and gaining its power.

0/0

After the death of Masaki and Chiyoko Kurosaki, Ichigo's life changed drastically. He didn't smile to anyone but family and wore a small frown most of the time. He came off as uncaring to those around him in school but was warmer to those he cared about, like his little sisters.

When his sister never showed to meet up with Tatsuki, she came running to their house to figure out why. And Ichigo had to tell her of their fate. To his utter surprise, the tough Tatsuki broke down right then and there, clinging to him as she cried for the loss of her best friend. She ended up staying the night that night with her dad's permission, just to find comfort in those who understood her loss. After that the pair became friends, not as close as she was with Chiyoko but still much closer than they were before.

Sighing heavily nine-year-old Ichigo pulled himself out of his bed and stared around his room. It was small but it was okay for him and his sister. Because of the size, they had to share a bed but that was okay, it kept them warm and they felt safe together. Anyway, the room had changed a little bit since she died a few weeks ago.

Where there once were posters of martial artist and scientist, there was now blank walls. Her clothing had been boxed up to give to Yuzu and Karin when they were older and the wolf plushy that she had always favored was now downstairs on the memorial that they built for the two of them. Looking around his room, all he could think was that it felt empty, just like him. Without his sister, he felt lost, she had been the one that always knew what to do or say, not him.

Pursing his lips, he made his way down stairs to smell of cooked food. Coming into the kitchen he was still rather surprised to see his father cooking food. Usually mom, yuzu, and Chiyoko did it together but without the other two Yuzu just wasn't ready to try on her own. Although she did beg a few times but dad said she could help if she wanted but she wasn't allowed to do it one her own until she was at least eight.

"Good morning Ichigo!" his father called out to him in a cheerful and goofy way.

His frown shifted slightly at the sound of it. Ever since _that_ night his father had started coping by acting like an utter idiot most of the time. While he did it a few times to entertain Yuzu and Karin beforehand, now he was like this most of the time. He somewhat understood why he did it but at the same time he hated it, he needed a father that he could actually talk to but this version just played everything off as a joke unless one of them were hurt really bad.

Grunting he strolled right on past the raven-haired man and went to the Memorial. His father only sighed but didn't try and push it, which he was thankful for.

Stopping before the memorials, Ichigo let his eyes take it all in to make sure he never forgot them. His father had gotten a photo of Mom and Chiyoko-nee-Chan blown up and framed on the wall. They were smiling happily out at him and it made his heart twist up inside. He'd never see those smiles again and it was all his fault. Silent tears fell from his eyes as he let his vision go down.

Underneath the photo was a table covered in some of their most favorite things. Mom's jewelry was lying there with a bracelet that had some kind of cross on it was resting on a velvet pillow. He didn't know why this one was so important to his mom but as he took in every detail of it, he swore that he would never let it get taken from them.

Turning his eyes upon his sister's things, he smiled. For whatever reason, the necklace and bracelet that she always wore had appeared on his bed a few days after the _incident._ He didn't know how that was possible when she was wearing them when she was thrown into the black void but he wasn't going to question it too much.

Running his finger over the necklace he wondered just what they all meant. There were five beads on one side, a stone of some kind that glowed lightly, a ring, a gear, and a locket. Reaching for the locket he popped it open and looked at the pictures that were incased inside of it. He didn't recognize any of them but they all were smiling out at him with love.

The bracelet was next. The bracelet its self was like a band around her wrist, it goes on but don't come off, it was made of silver and had some kind of purple stone in the center. There were only two charms on it now, a golden hourglass and a green diamond. He knew there had been another one on there before but couldn't remember what it had been. Either way, it was pretty and even though it all looked rather odd to him, it had fit his sister perfectly.

Taking his eyes off them, they landed upon the weapon she had summoned from nowhere. Dad had it taken to a swordsman to see if he could figure it out and what they had learned had shocked them. The blade was made out of several different metals and stones. The main part of the blade was made from some form of bronze that appeared to have been introduced to a chemical to change its coloration. The edging was made of an iron he had never seen as was the handle. What really blew it all way though, and thoroughly confused all of them, was that the wave design was made of molten amber. Yes, liquid amber, not solid, and the chain was crafted entirely out of an extremely dense but light-weight onyx crystal. In all of it, there was not a single seam to show the crafting. It was like it was crafted all at once.

When they had asked the man how much it would even cost to have a weapon forged the answer took the wind out of their sails entirely. He told them that even if it could be done, only the absolute richest people in the world could afford to have such a thing to be made. And if they ever sold it, they would bankrupt three of those people just to get this one of a kind blade. Not that they would ever dare sell it but it was startling to know.

He couldn't help the grin that came to his face. IT didn't surprise him as much as he thought it would that his furry of a sister would have something like this. She was always so…different…compared to everyone around them. Heck if she wanted to she probably could have finished school already, she was just that smart. He remembered a few times he had walked in on her while she was mumbling to herself in some other languages. He only knew that one was English and another was possibly Chinese of some sort but it still amazed him, she had been fluent too.

"I miss you Chiyoko-nee. I hope that what ever happened to you, you are at least safe. Yuzu, Karin, and Tatsuki-Chan all miss you terribly but I promise, I'll do whatever I have to make sure they are safe and happy."

Letting determination fill his eyes, he strolled out to set the table. Never looking back as his sister's items glowed for a short second and then died out like it had never happened.

0/0

Chiyoko sighed as she stared out over the forest from her cave. She had been here for a year and yet nothing had changed. She kept getting flashes of a life as a human girl but none of them were remotely happy. In fact, they were downright horrific. The constant sexual assault upon her young body and her need to please the beings that created her. It only got worse from the age of twelve until the point where she died in her fifties. There were still blanks in her memories but she had been slowly regaining them.

Over the last year, she had realized that the more she used her Cero and ate other Hollows, the more of her memories she unlocked. She was nowhere near close to mastering it but she had to admit that for being a regular hollow she was pretty strong. It also helped that her amount of power had increased by a ton in the last year. She could still live off the energy in the air around her but with each passing kill its ability to fuel her was becoming less and less. In the last year, she figured that she had eaten at least one hollow a day and her powers here starting to build up.

Feeling her skin pulse, she let out a whine. This had been happening a lot lately but she didn't know why. It wasn't a constant pain or anything but it was there at the most annoying moment. To try and expel some of her power she had fired her Cero at any hollow that came near her. This unfortunately, for her hunger, put the word out to the other hollows not to come near the mountain side or die. So, she had to go farther and farther away from her home to eat. Although it did wonders on how much energy she used to create and fire a cero. She figured it was cut down at least to a fourth of the original amount.

Knowing there was nothing she could do to expel the energy, she turned and slipped inside her home. IT had changed a bit since she first built it. Where before it had been just enough for her to stand and walk in a small circle, now it was a large cavern. The ceiling expanded at least forty feet high with a few random tunnels going off from that. As she carved this chamber out she had designed it with ledges so she could leap from one to the next to get where she wanted. She even managed to use her claws, and not kill the hollow, to skin it of its pelt at least ten times and when she had enough, she ate him. She now had a nice pile of furs that she used as a bed.

Trotting over to her bed she wiggled herself under a few of them and laid her head on her paws. There was a little bit of light from the strange crystals she had found in the mountain but it was only enough to see the outline of things inside the cavern. Which was perfect because of that light she was able to not feel like she was trapped in that void like she was at the beginning. She liked shadows but she didn't like the feeling of nothing but that darkness all around her. One could say she had developed a fear of the dark which to anyone that knew her would find absolutely ridiculous.

Feeling bored she yawned but jumped at the sound of fabric ripping. Snapping her eyes open she came face to face with a rip in reality right in front of her. It was completely black except for the light she could see at the end of it.

Quirking her head to the side she wondered just what this was. It seemed similar to that void she was born in but different somehow. That was nothingness while this one was like a bridge or maybe a tunnel. She had long since gotten a little bored with the forest of Hueco Mundo and was always looking for someplace else to visit. This thing seemed to offer her at least an answer.

Making her decision, she crawling out of her coverings and stepped into the gateway. She only took a few steps when the one she came in snapped close, leaving her with only way out. Going slowly, she noted that when the rip behind her closed the energy that was constantly funneling into her body from the air had stopped dead. Which meant that she had to find hollows in this place to eat and refill her stores before she goes empty.

Looking out of the rip in reality, Chiyoko found herself standing a least five stories up in the air with nothing underneath her to stand on besides open air and then the ground at the bottom. Sighing she should have figured something like would happen to her.

Trusting her gut, she leapt out of the gateway and channeled some of her spirit energy into her paws and was instantly rewarded with not falling. Lifting her paw, she carefully pressed it down on the air right before her and yipped in joy when it felt like she stepped on something solid.

Dashing off above the city she appeared in Chiyoko had her first honest bout of fun since she became a hollow. Grinning like a loon, or as much as wolves could grin, she chased after birds as they flew through the sky. Most would squawk in fright or indignation and fly away from her but that was only added to her enjoyment.

After playing with the birds of the city for a few hours, Chiyoko felt herself starting to tire, so she started her decent to the ground. While playing with birds in the air is fun, it sucks her energy from her more than she would like.

Just as she was about to touch down she heard the howl of a hollow and it was pretty close. Licking her lips, she took off after the sound. Weaving down roads and around metal things, she came upon a park. Here green eyes instantly fell upon the hollow that was making the racket.

It was rather small, only a bit bigger than herself, and shaped like cockroach. Even its mask had those nasty pinchers. It was baring down on a young girl with a chain attached to her chest as she tried to hide inside the jungle gym.

The hollow was hissing in delight as the girl whimpered in fear and Chiyoko felt her blood start to boil. She knew other hollows ate human spirits but she did not like it when they went after the souls of children. Maybe it was the forceful mother instincts as result of her painful memories of that girl Cerilia when she knew she was being repeatedly raped to bring children into the world, but she wouldn't not let another being harm children no matter what species.

Growling at the disgusting creature, she crept up towards the pair. It tensed for a second before whirling in her direction. It hissed and clicked even more but even if she could understand it, she wouldn't have listened. Making her growl even louder and glaring at it straight in the eyes, she dashed at the beast. Apparently, she wasn't the only one that thought this as the cockroach charged at her as well.

They clashed in the middle of the park with a thunderous bang. She snapped her fangs at what she thought might have been its throat and tried to at least sink her front claws into its flesh but with the creatures dozen or so legs, it made it extremely difficult.

Hissing as one of its legs stabbed itself into her armor, she tore herself away from it before it could succeed in ripping a chunk out of her body. She tumbled for a few feet before coming to a stop and jumping back to her feet just in time for the cockroach hollow to scurry over to her and try and sink its teeth into her jugular. Starting to get really pissed she channeled some of her energy into her maw and charged up a quick Cero.

Before the roach could pull away or move to the side, she released it point blank into its mask. There was a massive cracking sound as the hollow screamed in pain. While it was busy with trying to fight the pain of its mask partially shattered she pounced upon it and gorged her sharp claws into its open face. There was one last scream of earth shattering pain before it exploded into Spirit Energy. Without even thinking about it she absorbed it into her own body.

All at once, she felt her body bulge outward and pain flared through her. She didn't know how but she knew that she was at the brink of evolving but she still had to do something before her body would let her. Her subconscious had already killed off all the souls that she inherited from the other hollows she ate, so she knew she would be in control of herself as a Gillian. There just had to be something she was missing.

Pushing through the pain, she focused on the child she had just saved. She was still hiding in metal cage and still looked scared but she couldn't blame her. Walking toward the girl, she sat down upon her back hunches and leg her pink tongue flop out of her mouth as she lightly panted from the fight. She didn't move an inch and just waited for the girl to approach.

It was slow at first but eventually the girl realized that she wasn't going to hurt her and came out of the metal cage.

"Umm…thank you for saving me doggy." The girls voice was like soft chimes in the wind and it made Chiyoko feel happy to hear it. Yipping at the girl she flopped on her front and kept her head in the air as her tail wagged happily behind her. The child giggled at her actions and came a little closer and reached out her hand.

It was hesitant but she had done it. Leaning in, she let the girl run her fingers over her armor plating. She could see the wonder in the child's face at the fact she was covered in a hard shell instead of fur. She went over her entire face, neck, and back just marveling at the feeling. She stayed away from her paws though which she had to admit was probably a good idea.

Before she could do anything, the girl wrapped her arms around her neck in a hug. A whine escaped her throat at the odd feels it brought up inside her but it didn't last long. Pulling back the girl stood up and bowed to her.

"It was nice to meet you doggy. I hope I'll get to see you again." The child sent her a large smile before running away from the park and down the street.

Chiyoko watched as the spirit child left before turned her eyes up to the moon that had risen some time ago. Feeling tired of being in the world of the living she channeled some spirit energy into her claw and slashed at the air before her. A rip in reality appeared before her and she dashed off to go back to her home in the cave of Hollow Forest.

0/0

Rukia Kuchiki stared at the scene between the human and the pitch-black wolf hollow. It was beyond normal if nothing else. Never in all her years of fighting hollows had she ever seen one that would let a human soul caress its body, let along hug it, without using it as a trap to devour the innocent soul. They had to have been either a very loving mother or at least empathetic.

She had been about to step in when the first hollow started to attack the plus soul but before she could even unsheathe her Zanpakuto the wolf was gorging its claws into the cockroach hollow. What had freaked her out was the Spiritual Pressure it was giving off. Back in the Academy the instructor had given them an idea of how much was needed for a hollow to evolve into a Gillian Menos Grande and this hollow had just reached that breaking point when it absorbed the other hollows energy.

It was a really long second when she saw the wolf bulge outward but didn't transform. She found herself still wondering up until and after the hollow summoned a Garganta and returned to Hueco Mundo. Sighing she reached into her uniform and pulled out her soul phone. This was something that would really interest her captain, he was all about how there could be good in every spiritually powered being.

"This is Rukia Kuchiki, stationed in Karakura town. Something just happened that I really think you will want to hear, Captain Ukitake."

0/0

Sitting on the couch in the living room of his family home Isshin took solace in his empty house. Ichigo had taken Karin to her football game today and Yuzu had tagged along to cheer her sister on. So, he was enjoying the moment to just relax. That however, wasn't going to happen because of the sound of something scratching on his door.

"What the hell could that be?" grumbling to himself he got up from the couch and walked to the front door. Looking throw the peep hole showed him nothing and yet the scratching continued. Sighing he threw the door open and thought he was about to scare off one of his neighbor's dogs when he came face to face with a large white wolf with bright blue eyes and strange markings on its head and neck.

It quirked its head to the side and stared at him. Sweat dropping a little bit Isshin tried to figure out just what was happening.

"Are you lost fella? Do you want help finding you owner?" He nearly jumped out of his skin when the wolf actually spoke back.

" **I'm a girl you fucking idiot! Learn genders why don't you."**

Before he could even respond the wolf pushed right past him and trotted into his house. Blinking he slowly shut the door before following after the apparently female wolf that had just insulted him. The second he stepped into the living room the wolf rounded on him.

" **Where is she?! Where is my friend!"** her voice was filled with worry and desperation while Isshin was just getting confused. " **I feel her, that she is here somewhere"** Scratching his head Isshin was really starting to get lost.

"Um… Just who is your friend, Miss?" the wolf just looked at him like he was retarded and for some reason he felt really offended.

" **I don't know her name! She's had so many now that I have trouble keeping the first three straight."** The wolf threw dropped her head down and made a whining sound that tugged at his heartstrings, **"All I know is that she is intersex, has a metal arm, a necklace and bracelet, and some weird markings over her body."**

Isshin instantly froze at this creature's words. That sounded exactly like his eldest daughter but what does this wolf have to do with her? And what did she mean my having three names already? If she was talking about reincarnation, then he would understand but when that happens the soul is whipped of its past life and put into a new body.

"I had a daughter almost exactly like you describe but I'm sorry to say she isn't amongst the living any longer, she died last year." His mind flashed back to the thought of his baby's spirit running around in the form of a hollow. He didn't like thinking about it since he didn't have a way to track her down unless she revealed herself to any of them. And that wasn't likely to happen since almost all hollows forget about their families right after transformation and if they don't then his entire family would be in her stomach by now.

Thalia frowned at the Japanese man's words. If her friend had already died, then she wouldn't be feeling her life signature in this life any longer. But it was still strong, if a bit darker, and it was connected to something inside this house.

" **Did she leave anything behind when she 'died'? It might be a bracelet, a necklace, or even a flask? Please its important!"** She tried to stress her need for it, although she wondered in the back of her mind why this man was taking a talking wolf at face value.

Isshin stared hard at the wolf. The way she said died made him think that maybe she knew something they didn't. Besides it's not like she could get anything away with any of Chiyoko's things. After they placed her soul items on the memorial none of them but Ichigo had even been able to touch them without being shocked rather nastily. Coming to a decision, he nodded to the canine and walked to the memorial.

Following along behind the man that was her best friends current father, she had to admit that he was a lot nicer than the last one. That one had paralyzed her with some finger poking, tied up her friend, and then bashed her own head in with a rock while she couldn't even fight back. That last thing she head was her friend's screams and pleading to the fat man. That was the first time she ever died and she really didn't want to do it again any time soon.

When they came to a room off to the side of the living room, she stopped and stared up at the picture. Right there in broad daylight was her best friend and her current mother. The mother had strawberry blonde hair and warm brown eyes and she could see that her friend took after this woman at least in body type.

Her friend was short like usual with raven colored hair and black eyes that she must have gotten from the man that let her in. To her surprise her friend was actually dressed for once and didn't look all that uncomfortable in them as she used to and always complain about it. Anyway, her skin was as pale as it had been during the last year of her life as Persia and if she looked closely she could still make out the Automail port for her arm. Her shadow markings from her mastering her shadows the first time were still on her arm and she could see the very top of the Flamel mark under her tank top.

What really surprise Thalia though was the wolf ears and tail that the girl had. They were definitely real, she could tell from experience, but the question was how did she get them? She hadn't had them when she met her briefly in her last life, so that had to mean she had gotten them somehow later in that life and they stuck with her when she died.

Then her eyes landed on the Chain Blade.

" **She was being attacked by a creature of some sort when she died, wasn't she?"** the man nodded, " **what happened? I can tell she is still alive in this life, at least spiritually, so there must be something going on."**

Isshin looked at the wolf with hope in his eyes. The last year had been so rough on his family with the death of Masaki and Chiyoko. If there was any way, anyway at all, he could find a way to bring his daughter back from the darkness of being a hollow and this wolf held a clue then he would take it. So, he leads her back over to the couch and sat down.

"If you really have a connection to my daughter, then maybe you can help me at least release her soul from the state it's in now." Thalia watched as his eyes filled over with sorrow and determination, "You see, there are three different types of afterlife in our world. There's the soul society where souls go after death and have the option to become Shinigami to protect souls and purify hollows. Then there is Hueco Mundo, and that is where spirits that can't cross over go and become hollows. They feed on the souls of other, including their own kind, to try and fill a void in their hearts but as far as we know none have ever succeeded. The last one is hell and that's were those that commit rape and murder go. None of this is common knowledge unless you have a connection to the afterlife."

Thalia listened as the man explained this and she had to wonder how such a thing existed when she knew the Underworld was in this world as well. Maybe it was a location thing or based on belief? She snapped out of her internal thoughts when she saw tears starting to fall from his eyes.

"Last year Chiyoko, that's my daughter, was eaten by one such hollow and my wife simply killed by it before it escaped. When a soul is devoured by hollows there is an extremely small chance that they will become hollows, otherwise they are simply consumed by the hollow and not released into the afterlife until the hollow is purified."

Sparking a little electricity, Thalia thought over what she had just learned. By the sounds of it, Chiyoko would have to become a hollow instead of being devoured if she was still feeling that she was living. It would also explain why her soul felt darker to her than last time. If hollows were beings of dark emotions, then when they choose Chiyoko they basically hit a jackpot. That girl had more negativity in her that most could ever have, besides a god.

Isshin felt his arm hairs stick up before he actually saw the electricity spark of the wolfs coat. Cautious of it, he inched away just a smidge. Now he wasn't so sure he could beat up the wolf if she tried anything. Inviting a wolf inside his home said nothing about lightning in the brochure!

" **Would it be too much trouble if I stayed here? If Chiyoko does come back maybe I can help break through to her?"** he looked at her like he was weighing the consequences of letting her in, **"I am house trained and I think I have all my vaccines."**

Isshin cracked up at that. This wolf was just going to be too much for him but maybe she could help his family fill a little bit of that who inside of their hearts.

"I don't see why not. Welcome to the Kurosaki family! My name's Isshin." He extended his hand towards her. The wolf looked at it for a minute like she couldn't believe he was actually going to make her do this. Then a grin stretched across her lips, showing off lots of sharp white teeth, and placed her paw in his hand.

" **Thalia"**

For whatever reason, all four of the Kurosaki children shuddered at once. For three of them, life had just gotten a lot weirder.

0/0

For the next three months Chiyoko would return to the human world and hunt down other hollows. She'd mostly focus to the ones going after children but every once in a while, she would kill one going after an adult.

Licking her lips, Chiyoko laid under a tree in the local cemetery. She had just finished up on her meal a little bit a go and decided to take a little nap. That however was ruined when something landed right in front of her, making her yelp in shock.

Landing on her back hunches she came face to face with a teenage girl dressed like a Samurai with a sword strapped to her hip. She even had the wooden sandles. She was short with black hair that was cut to just beneath her jaw line. The girl didn't look threatening at all but that didn't mean anything. She had once seen a hollow the size of a small house cat kill a one the size of a bull. Deadly things come in small packages.

"You're not like other hollows" the girl stated before pulling out some device in her hands, "In the last three months, you alone have killed 97 of my 123 targets." For some reason the girl, she just realized was a Shinigami, didn't seem worried that she would harm her. They were just having a normal conversation it seemed.

It actually surprised her that she had killed that many hollows in the human world, especially when the more powerful ones are in Hueco Mundo and its very rare to find a powerful soul in the human realm. Nodding her head, she waved her paw in a go on way.

"By all rights, I should purify you right now and send you off to the soul society." Chiyoko smirked at her for thinking they had the ability to even try but the Shinigami took it as a warning, "However, My Captain has asked me to monitor you when you are in the human world. He was also interested in why you haven't evolved yet. I never thought I'd say this to a hollow but you look like you are about to explode. And if you don't figure out what's keeping you from evolving, you probably will."

Chiyoko took those words to heart. She had heard from a few other hollows that there have been others like her that had the potential to evolve but couldn't figure out how. Those hollows died in massive explosions that would take out anything within a mile diameter of their blast point. She most definitely didn't want to go out like that. Especially not after getting the rest of what she thought were the rest of Cerilia's memories once more.

Nodding her head to the Shinigami in thanks for the warning, she stood up on all fours and swiped her claw to open a Garganta. Without even looking back at the confused Shinigami, she strolled through the gateway and into her home.

She had actually been thinking about her lack of evolution for the last three months. And she had come to one rather obvious conclusion. The better she became in her abilities, the more memories she was able to regain. Why couldn't it be the same for evolution? She knew she was at the power level to evolve but she must not have mastered her powers to their fullest. She still didn't make it to the exact location she wanted when she used the Garganta to go to the human world and she still had moments where she almost falls out of the sky. So, she had two skills she needed to keep practicing.

Sighing to herself she wondered if her life as a human had been this frustrating.

0/0

Energy was rushing, crashing, through and onto Chiyoko's body. She had just spent the last two weeks practicing her Air-walking and Garganta abilities until she finally felt she completed them. That was when this agony struck her. She barely had time to make it back into Hueco Mundo before she collapsed on the forest floor.

All she could hear were the howls of pain coming from her own lips and the snapping of her bones under the force of her own Spiritual Energy. She could feel her armor falling off of her frame, exposing her grey furless body to any that would be brave enough to adventure into her territory.

She could feel her body evaporating, every single inch at a time. I hurt like hell and she honestly wished she never went through it again but knew she would in her desire to get stronger to protect those she loved.

Then she grew. Up and up she went until she was around fifteen feet tall. A long black cloak draped itself over her mask, feet, and arms. She couldn't feel anything but energy underneath the cloak beyond just those five things. It was strange feeling.

Lifting her arm, she found herself frowning at how slow this body was compared to her old one. Forcing her mind to focus, she looked at the arm that came from the sleeve. Unlike other Gillian she had seen her hands were pure black instead of bleach white. Lifting her foot, she noticed it was just like her hands. Feeling around her face she too noted that her mask felt just like her old one.

Sighing in relief, she started making her way through Menos forest. With this new form an entirely new definition for hungry attacked her mind. It was maddening being this slow but with no real muscle or body she couldn't force herself to go faster. One would think that because of her shorter than average Gillian body would make her fast but nope, she was still slower than dirt.

Along the way to where she knew a group of Gillian migrated she got some amusement as regular hollows scurries out of her way even faster than they used to. Stepping down on one, she took a brief notice of her body absorbing its spiritual energy. However, it barely did anything for her. It was like dropping a teaspoon of water into a five-gallon bucket. Barely even mentionable.

Coming upon the horde of Gillian, Chiyoko figured that since they were mindless drowns she would start at the back and just eat them as they moved. It took forever and by the time they passed her she wanted to bash her head into a tree but when they finally did, she waddled her slow butt into the back of the crowd.

The first one she came up to was just five feet taller than her but it was mostly in the neck. Reaching up with her hand she grasped it on its shoulder and sank her fangs into its cloaked body. It gave a scream in pain but kept walked as she slowly ate her way through it.

When it finally evaporated into spirit Energy she quickly sucked it up before the others noticed it. Not even close to satisfying her hunger yet, she moved onto the next unfortunate idiot.

0/0

It took Chiyoko two months to finish off that group of Gillian and while she still felt hungry, she didn't feel like stating it at the moment. After spending two months of just eating both day and night, she wanted to do something else.

Stopping her movements, she looked around her. She was pretty far away from her cave and it would probably take her another two months to get even close to it. So, that would give her time to try out her powers again.

Feeling deep inside her, she pulled up her Spirit Energy and directed it to her mouth. It was slow but a green Cero formed in her maw. The energy was extremely unstable and the forming of it took way to long for her liking but it was powerful. Like before was a lady bug and this is a light bulb. It was insane the amount of power she was feeling coming off of it and she was sure it would only get more so the more she used it.

Roaring with triumph, she fired the energy beam straight ahead of her. It cut through tree after tree before exploding about half a mile away from her. The force of the blast was strong enough to flutter her cloak. Hundreds of thousands of hollows made noises of fright but she ignored them and just started up another one.

Thanks to the buildup of power inside of her, she could do this for a few hours until she would need to eat once more. And that she did.

With the first few blasts she could feel the power and control of the attack go up a half of what it did when she was a regular hollow. If she had to do this again with each evolution that she had a funny feeling that she was going to be destroying a lot of land and hollows to do so. Thankfully with each Cero she fired off she killed lots of hollows and was able to absorb them before they dissipated.

To the other hollows, it was a very frightening time in the forest. For hours, there were constant explosions, roaring of hollows, and a massive stream of Spirit particles heading towards the source. None of them had ever seen something like this ever happen before. Gillian usually just feasted on each other for as long as they survive. But the wolf of the mountain was practicing its powers, killing hollows indiscriminately, and taking in their power like it was an everyday thing. All at once, every single lower hollow prayed that the wolf would hurry up and evolve again and go up to the desert to never return. Luckily for them, their wish would come true.

0/0

In the span of the two months, tens of thousands regular hollows meet their end at the hands of Chiyoko. She didn't feel bad for it at all but she was hating it now. She thought she might have found a loop hole in her evolution system with the consumption of hundreds of lower hollows at once but it turned out that there is actually a difference in the density of their Spirit Energy. So, the most she got out of that constant firing Ceros all over Menos Forest was practice in her landscaping skills, which still only resulted in massive craters and broken trees, and gaining control over her how much energy she had to put into it and how fast she built it.

What she really hated was that it was all pointless to keep doing this when she would just have to do it all over again when she evolved. The only thing that changed was when she maxed out the abilities in her evolution was that it was half of what it was in the one before it. Which kind of made since seeing as it was denser so she wouldn't need nearly as much.

Biting down one the last Gillian in this batch she barely took note of her cloak puffing out a little bit. Thankfully this time she wasn't in pain as the spirit energy inside of her body tried to push its way out. For whatever reason this cloak seemed to be made to hold her powers inside of her.

At that very moment she felt something snap in her mind and another flash of memories went settled themselves into her consciousness. It hurt like hell but she had long gotten used to it in the last year and a half. It did nothing from stopping her body from screaming out. Trees rattled and more than a few hollows ears bleed under the assault of the Wolfs terrible screams.

Flashes of moments went through soul as the Negative moment of Persia Jackson tried to realign themselves with the new her. She felt the sadness from Dionysus leaving her in her room, replaying the death of her little sister Bianca, killing that man in cold blood in Chicago on her first trip, all the years of harassment for being herself. Her hatred for Poseidon and Ares rivaled that of Cerilia's hatred for the Titans. The abandonment of her friends when she needed them most. The depression that she felt at keeping her mother Sally from having a normal life. Feeling like a freak while having to bath in the boy's locker room as they ogled at her openly. The disgust she felt for the Romans and their conservative way of thinking. All of it pored over her as she finally reached the brink of her power in this form.

In a way, she felt a since of relief at the feeling of her main life merging back into her soul but she knew that it was only half of who she truly was. She knew that all of Cerilia and Persia's lives weren't darkness, self-hatred, and other negatives but at the moments that's all she had to learn from.

When the pain finally settle down to a more manageable level she marched decided that she was done with the eating and the destruction for now. When she evolved, she would have to do it again but now she didn't feel the need.

It didn't take her long to return to her cave but climbing sure did. It was agonizingly slow and by the time she reached the entrance to her home she swore she wasn't coming back down until she evolved once more. Thankfully she had increased the size of the entrance before evolving or she would have been screwed after climbing all this way.

Sitting down upon the chamber floor, she crossed her imaginary legs and forced herself to meditate. While its common knowledge that hollow powers are instinct, she theorized that if they had the patience a hollow could navigate their spirit energy and find the key to one of their powers.

Plunging into her spiritual being she found herself in her wolf form in a vast black space with only a beam of light on herself. When she first tried this as a lower hollow the place had been utterly stuffed with the souls of those she had ate and those they had eaten. It was annoying but she went through and killed them one by one. Thankfully they had been in their human forms and extremely unorganized. Her claws and teeth had quickly quenched what was left of their spirit energy out of them and sunk it into herself. She was pretty sure this was also why Adjuchas turned back into Gillian when they don't keep eating hollows for the extra power to fight off their souls. By doing what she did she eliminated the threat of them trying to drag her back down with them.

Anyway, looking at first all she could see was black but when she used her mind to push that blackness away, she found herself in a Stone chamber. All along the wall there were a total of 7 doorways, all but one of them were covered in chains that said something that she couldn't read. Three on one side and four on the other. There had originally been 8 but the door sort of disappeared once she evolved. She figured it was a sign that with each evolution she would gain a part of herself that she had lost when she became a hollow. And eventually all the doors will be gone and she will be much better than she had been before the memory wipe.

Moving her eyes away from the doors she focused on the one thing that really stuck out to her. The chamber was apparently built of two sections, darkness and happiness. One side of the chamber was obsidian while the other was what looked like marble. There was also three slightly raised platforms in this chamber.

The one on the obsidian side currently had her Gillian form standing tall…ish on a pure white platform. She had to admit that if it wasn't for the glowing cold emerald eyes she would kind of find its appearance funny. Anyway, the platform in the center was what looked like a yin-yang sign with a mix of both sides together. While the marble side actually had a pure black platform. However, neither the center or the marble had any figure standing upon it. If she guessed it would be because she hasn't reached that point in her evolution, although how she was going to find happiness when hollows are nothing but negative she didn't know.

All over the walls of the dark side there were rather graphic scenes from Cerilia's life and a few of the death filled moments of Persia. She didn't like looking at Cerilia's too much but she acknowledges that she had gone through some really messed up things back at the beginning of her soul's creation. It was because of that life that made her decided that if she ever went on to her next life then she wasn't ever going to have intercourse with anyone until she was at least seventeen if not twenty-two.

She may be a creature of negativity, but if the other three rooms were anything like these two she was afraid she might crack under the pressure.

Taking in a slow calming breath she trotted over to the door frame that contained Persia's memories. The locks on the doorway had slowly decayed the more she mastered her abilities until finally the lock would just snap off. Cerilia's had one for Cero, Garganta, and Air walking while the door had a count up to 500 and when it reached that the door itself would crumble. Unfortunately, some memories could slip through but not all of them. She had most of the big ones done with but there were still tons of small blank spots. Right now, there was only one lock left blocking the rest of Persia's dark memories from melding with her mind. But she was about to find out what it was.

Perching her front paws against the dark stone walls, Chiyoko reach up with her snout and tapped it against the lock. It flashed it a bright green light before a screen popped in front of her eyes. This was one this she had only learned about recently. Who would have thought that one of her past selves would have the Greek Gods create a way that could tell her anything about herself with just a touch of the charm or dab of energy? She definitely would not have even known it was possible.

 **Negacion: 1/25 = impenetrable square beam of light to rescue other hollows in a space outside of reality must be used outside of Hueco Mundo**. **To use this ability, you must focus spirit energy into your palm and extend it towards the target as you mentally picture covering them in you Reishi. SPE consumption: 1000 per use; drop 25 cost per point increase to skill**

Smiling to herself Chiyoko dashed over to ever present screen that was on the wall behind the center platform. This had appeared when she mastered the Cero and unlocked a 1/8th of her soul from being Persia. Each of her lives seemed to be locked into smaller and smaller sections the more she advanced or at least the negatives are. Thankfully her happy memories won't be nearly as difficult

 **Current name: Chiyoko ?,**

 **Past names: Cerilia Atu, ?, ?, ?**

 **The Gamer**

 **Title: ?**

 **Title: ?**

 **Title: ?**

 **Title: ?**

 **Life level: 7**

 **Ultimate Level: ?**

 **HP: 1900/1900**

 **AP: 950/950**

 **STR: 3**

 **SPE: 4**

 **Flex: 9**

 **INT: 24**

 **Perks**

 **First human-** you were created by the Prometheus and Selena as the first human being with both genitals; Thus, making you a creature without limits. Each time you truly die you are reincarnated but will have your memories of your past lives **. (Permanent)**

 **?- (Locked) Become a transcended soul**

 **Reincarnation soul traits^**

 **First life: wolf's life-** Heighten senses, gets hormonal easily, cravings for raw fresh and blood, and viciously protective of those in your close circle **. 10/10**

 **Second life: Queen of shadows-** controls shadows making defensive barriers and restraints, while also opens a storage for user. **16/25 (Locked due to evolution status)**

 **Third life: ? intelligence-** IQ of a ?. Allows the user to learn at three times the speed as usual.

 **Fourth life: Blessing of ?-** original curse of ? melded itself to user's soul and became an addition to her true form. Further enhances Wolf life trait and adds ? and ? to the user's body for the rest of their life. Increases cuteness to humans and shortens pregnancies by three months.

 **Memory seals: progress: 14/100 (14 per unlock)**

 ***Negative memories: Negative actions and feeling imposed upon you in life 21/100**

 **~First life: 100/100 = Cerilia Atu completed**

 **~Second life: 66/100 = Persia Jackson in progress**

 **~Third life: (Locked) unlock by evolving into a Adjuchas Menos Grande**

 **~Fourth life: (Locked) Unlock by evolving into a Vasto Lorde**

 **~Fifth life: (Locked) Life Name Unlock by completing fourth life; Completely unlock by becoming an ?**

 ***Positive memories: Positive actions and feelings imposed and created by you in life 0/100**

 **~First and second life: (Locked) Achieve ?**

 **~third and fourth life: (Locked) Achieve ?**

 **~Fifth life: (Locked) Master ? and ? and use both and seal them into an Asauchi to obtain ?**

 **Permanent life skills^**

 **Cerilia's skills: (Locked)**

 **Persia's skills: (Locked)**

 **? Skills: (locked)**

 **? Skills: (Locked)**

 **Aura: 163/1000 ~** 163 meters of coverage; floods area in something similar to Godly power that match user's presence in the world

 **Presence: 163/1000~** how much you effect the world around you when released from your limits. Increases with age.

 **Temporary skills^**

 **Hollow Skills**

 ***Standard hollow: Complete**

* **Gillian Menos Grande:** around 1.5 stories tall hollow covered in a black cloth with a black mask of a wolf with green irises

Cero: 50/50 = Energy beam of dark green Reishi that damages enemies that fires from tail or mouth

~Garganta: 50/50 = Rip in reality that forms a bridge between Hueco Mundo and Earth or the Soul Society

~Negacion: 1/25 = impenetrable square beam of light to rescue other hollows in a space outside of reality.

 ***Adjuchas Menos Grand: (Locked) master Gillian Powers and eat 500 Gillian hollows = 500/500**

 ***Vasto Lorde Menos Grande: (Locked)**

 ***?: (locked)**

 **? Skills**

 ***?**

 ***?**

 **Transcended soul (Locked)**

 **Soul bound items^ (Locked due to evolutionary level)**

 **Bracelet: 3/5 (Locked)**

 ***Gamer charm (Location unknown)**

 **Necklace: 5/10 (Locked)**

 **Companions: 1/2**

 ***?**

Looking over the list she frowned. There were just so many unanswered questions, unknown skills, and locked sections. Guess it made some since because she is essentially an amnesia victim but for some silly reason she felt like she was missing out on a lot more than most people, maybe it was the four lives she apparently lived.

Grinning at the trait she got from Persia's life she couldn't wait to be able to do that again. The thoughts off all the things she could do with it. Just the storage thing would be neat to do. It would also be extremely useful to help her hold down the stronger hollows and avoid any Shinigami if they tried to attack her in the human world but she doesn't want to leave right after.

Pursing her lips, she wondered what level she has to be just to use those items of hers. You would think that seeing as she is a spirit that she would have them already but for whatever reason she apparently wasn't ready for them. It was just so frustrating. And that's not even going into the transcended soul business. Just what the heck is that? Are there levels above Vasto Lorde that she will have to discover how to become? What would they even look like?

She hadn't meet any Vasto Lorde yet but she heard rumors that they were like a humanoid hollow. Picturing what she might look like as such a being she grinned. It would be powerful, dark looking, and absolutely her! She shivered at the thought.

Turning her attention back to what she had come here for she remembered the screen said about her last Gillian ability. It sounded interesting if nothing else but how would she be able to practice it when it can only be used outside of Hueco Mundo? She could try in the human world first but hopefully she won't get attacked by some idiotic Shinigami that isn't that girl she met months ago. If that doesn't work, then she can figure something else out.

Making her decision, she pushed herself out of her mind. When she came back to her cavern she was actually rather thankful that she wasn't human or even a hollow with a real body; otherwise she would have been very sore right now.

Licking her lips, she slashed her black armored hand and ripped a hole in reality. This was going to be interesting if nothing else.

0/0

Frowning at the world around him, Ichigo hated this day out of all days in the year. His dad let all three of his kids leave school today just to go visit Chiyoko and Kaa-chan's graves but if there was anywhere he didn't want to be, it was here. It always made him feel like a massive failure and an idiot. Nobody blamed him for what happened that night two years ago, but he did. He shouldn't have run after that girl, who he now realized had been a spirit, or let himself freeze in horror as his sister disappeared into that black void which lead to his mom saving him and dying in the process.

As they walked up the hill and the sun started to rise, he clenched his fists in his pockets as he trailed behind his father and Yuzu while they tried running up the hill. He knew they were just trying to have a few minutes of happiness before they get sad again but he just couldn't force himself to join in.

"Ichi-nii?" a soft voice called from beside him.

Forcing his face to lighten, he looked over to see his little sister Karin staring at him with worry in her little eyes. She might not be as empathetic as her twin but in a way, she understood others pain even more than Yuzu. The twin's personalities reminded him of how he and his own twin were. Him being the overly emotional and energetic one while his sister doing anything to make him feel better but also do what made her happy at the same time. Like her love for learning anything she could get her hands on. Karin shared that trait with her but only in the way that she always put her all into football.

"Yes Karin-Chan?" she pouted at the affection suffix but didn't fight it.

"Do you think we will ever see nee-Chan again? I know dad said she had been taken from us by a monster but then why did we have a grave made?"

Reaching up he ran his fingers through his spiky strawberry blonde hair. It was his only connection with his mother and refused to dye it, no matter how many people make fun of it or take offense of it. Looking up into the sky, he wondered the very same question. Even though he knew his sister was beyond saving, he held the hope that they could somehow. A grave seemed to make it so hopeless, so final. He didn't like it but he had to say something.

"I think it's because dad knows we won't be able to find her, no matter how much we wish we could. At least this way he can hope that she is in a safer place than she might be. Do you understand?" turning his eyes onto the small girl he could see something in her eyes that spoke of sadness. Some tears came to her eyes but she wiped them away before they would fall.

"I don't think so, but maybe if we hope enough she will return some day?" smiling slightly he reached down and patted her head, and getting a huff out of her.

"Come on, if we don't hurry dad and the dog will eat all the good food and leave us nothing but vegetables." Karin pulled a face before she started running after the rapidly disappearing duo. Just before he was about to chase after her he spotted a huge figure sitting near the edge of the woods. They were wearing nothing but black and had some kind of face mask on.

Looking up the hill he decided that he could catch up in a little bit. Turning off the main road he strolled over to the sitting figure.

0/0

Stepping out of the Garganta, Chiyoko looked around to find that she was in a cemetery. It was fairly early in the morning but when she looked down the trail she could see four people already heading up. It would take them at least an hour to get to her and while she should probably leave, she felt that she shouldn't. Something inside of her told her to watch out for this family.

Seeing as she didn't have anything to do she sat down just in front of the forest edge. It was looking to be a nice day today, maybe she would stay here all day and just enjoy it. These were the only times she ever got to enjoy the feeling of the sun upon her mask. It was like in this moment the darkness was being washed away from her soul, although she knew it was going to return when she went back to Hueco Mundo.

Getting bored she figured she might as well try and use that move even if she was only going to be able to use it once.

Focusing her spirit energy into her hand she watched as it glowed a light golden color. Turning her hand facing down toward the earth she focused on her Reishi surround the patch of grass. The beam of light worked about half way before it suddenly shattered. She felt the energy drain instantly, it was like going from full to an eighth of a tank of gas in an instant. Too bad she wasn't still in her old form, she could have at least laid out in it. Even though she was sitting down she was still seven feet tall from ground to the top of her head. She could only imagine the chaos that would ensue if she was the average height of sixty feet high.

Chuckling a rather dry chuckle she wondered what the Shinigami were thinking when she stepped through the Garganta. They have probably dispatched a team to investigate or try and purify her but it would take more than that to do such a thing to her. Besides she wasn't in a fighting mood today. It was just too peaceful for that.

The sound of feet scrapping grass brought her out of her thoughts and was rather surprised that the human boy was approaching her. He couldn't have been no more than thirteen, possible a little younger. He had strawberry blonde hair that spiked up like a porcupine and brown eyes. He was frowning silently but that would make since if he was here to visit someone.

"Hello? Are you here to visit someone too?" his question seemed the casual but she could hear the grief and self-hatred in his undertones. What could have happened to make this young boy hate himself this much?

Shaking her head, she grabbed her throat and shook head again.

"Oh, you can't talk, I'm sorry. Umm…can you write?" nodding hesitantly the boy grinned before reaching into his bag and pulled out a sketchbook. He opened it and she caught sight of a name _Chiyoko Kurosaki_ written into the inside cover. The boy flipped through the pages quickly but she could see some of the drawings inside. They were pretty good if she said so herself, she doubted she could ever draw something like that though. Maybe when she becomes a Vasto Lorde she could come here and steal some paining supplies to try?

When she finally had the pad of paper and pencil in her hand she had to be very careful not to ruin either one of them. The boy seemed to cherish this sketchbook so she wouldn't damage it if she could help it.

IT took a little practice but the boy didn't seem to mind. When she finally had something legible she wrote it in full.

 _Hello, child. Are you here to visit someone dear to you? Sadly, I do not have anyone that is around anymore that I hold dear to my heart that I can remember._

He read her message slowly, trying to make sure he understood what she wrote, before smiling at her sadly.

"Yeah, I'm visiting my mother and twin sister. They passed a couple years ago, I still miss them though." His voice broke a little at the start before he managed to get it under control. Such like a boy to think they have to hide the hurt they feel.

 _Don't hide your pain, child. Being human is to love and make the best of your life. While you can endure hardship, you can also find release in emotions._

This was one thing that most hollows never understood, and most humans actually. They always think that they can endure on their own and still succeed and while there may be a few individuals that can, most need someone to keep them up to do it.

The boy stared at her words for a long moment with a frown on his face. He didn't scuff at her words right away, so she knew he was at least thinking about them. Finally, he sighed and nodded his head. Instantly the weight that was on his shoulders relaxed just a smidge but it was enough to make her smile.

"Thank you for speaking with me but I'm afraid my family will start worrying about me if I stay gone much longer." Smiling at the boy she nodded and handed him the sketchbook and pencil. "Bye!" before she could even blink he was already running off to meet up with the others he had come with.

Letting her eyes soften she wondered just what that young boy would come to when he grows up. Something special that was for sure.

Just as she was about to get up a shadow dropped in front of her and she was getting a since of Déjà vu. Looking at the little Shinigami girl she blinked a few times. From up here she really does look like a midget. Her whole body was rigid as a board and her hand grasped around the handle of her blade but she didn't give it any mind, like usual.

"I see you managed to evolve. Although you look different than any other Gillian we have come across before. The black bones and mask add a touch of sinister though." The girl pulled out her own sketchpad and handed it to her with her own pencil. "I saw you doing this with that boy. I'm rather surprised he could see you and didn't get scared."

 _He thought I was an old lady, which I guess I am but not in the same way other people understand age._

The Shinigami quirked an eyebrow as she read the message, "And just how old are you? You must be at least a century to evolve into a Gillian. Oh, excuse me, I'm Rukia Kuchiki, and you are?"

Chiyoko smirked at the girl. She had been waiting for her to introduce herself that time she watched her fight that cockroach in the park but she guessed late is better than never.

 _I have at least some 70 years of life in my head, the rest is slowly being restored. But I have only been a hollow for two years since today actually. Unlike most hollows, I don't need to sleep when I was a lower hollow, so I was able to stay up day and night for weeks just eating hollows and training. Made it rather monotone though._

Rukia stared up at this black wolf shaped hollow. If it was even possible for a hollow to gain that much power in such a short amount of time, they must have had one powerful soul as a human. Unfortunately, if she reported that tidbit of information to the Thirteen court guard squad they would make her purify them or sent a captain to do it quickly so they could recruit them as a Shinigami. The real issue was that Captain Ukitake asked her to not report anything all that important besides basics of the creature. Apparently, he believed that this hollow was a shining example of what a good hollow could be like. And from what she had noticed so far, he was correct.

Sure, the hollow didn't save all the souls it could when in the human world, neither do they, but she always made sure to kill the hollows going after the souls of children. And that was enough for her books. She hated how most common hollows went after children because they were seen as easy targets.

"So, you lost your memories but they are slowly returning? Do you have any idea why?" call it curiosity but Rukia couldn't help but wonder why this caring soul became such a dark creature and lost her memories on top of it.

 _I believe it was to give me a new perspective on all that I have done. I also believe that my soul wanted something of a temporary fresh start, if you will. Being a hollow can make one rather cynical, so it works I guess. Although so far, I've only awakened the dark memories but then again, I am a creature of desires and negativity._

For a long while, the pair just stood there, looking at one another. One trying to figure out just what the hollow meant and the other realizing that what she said was what she actually thought. She hadn't even thought on the topic all that much except right after she turned into a Gillian. And yet, somehow, this woman…this _Shinigami_ was getting her to talk as if it was to an old friend. It was utter absurd and yet here they were, natural enemies, once more chatting under the shade of a tree.

"So, what do you plan to do when you evolve as much as you can?"

 _Does it matter?_

That was the million-dollar question. To both of them the answer was no but to others they would be breathing down their necks until they knew how they could work it out for them. Both willing to destroy her or pull her into their ranks under the right circumstances but neither would give her the choice of just sitting her and enjoy the feeling of being under the sun or moon.

"Unfortunately, it will to the higher ups. They have let you come and go because you have only been going after other hollows but now that you have evolved and kept your intelligence, they will want to know now."

Chiyoko leaned forward and rested her chin onto her hand and lightly scratched at her mask. She should have known that it would come down to this, the soul society was just too into the moral high ground. Feeling that they had to have absolute control over spirits in general and did not like that they couldn't properly control or eliminate hollows. It was an iffy subject of what they might do and most of the time it ends with death.

 _What would have happened, if I said I was going to keep pushing until I become a Vasto Lorde? Would they kill me now while they can or take the chance that I may become a threat, even though I honestly have no feelings what-so-ever about the Shinigami or plus souls. I'll happily feed on those of my own kind instead of those that haven't fallen to darkness._

Rukia stared at the miniature Gillian Menos Grande as she went over its worlds. It was very rare for a hollow to say that they don't care for eating the living or soul reapers and would prefer to eat just their own kind. But the real question was if the 13-court guard squad would attack this hollow if it continued to evolve? And the even more pressing question would be if the hollow would fight back or be purified quietly?

"I really wish I could answer that. Central 46, our main government, would decide on what happens. And for the last few hundred years they have been rather happy to kill anything with any powers."

 _So, I should stop coming here then or risk them sending someone to actually kill me._

It was said as a statement instead of a question but Rukia understood what had just happened. The hollow had decided that in order to keep itself from dying or fighting with the Shinigami it would stop coming to the world it obviously enjoyed. To her surprise, she felt a little disappointed at the news. Without meaning to she had started to think of the wolf hollow as a friend and in her job, that could make things extremely complicated.

 _What would happen to me if I let myself be purified? Would I keep my spirit energy or be back at the beginning?_

"When hollows are purified, they are whipped clean of everything they did as a hollow. Memories, powers, and even spiritual energy. They would go back to what they were when they first died."

 _I see_

Getting up from her sitting position, Chiyoko handed the booklet back to Rukia before slashing at the air in front of her, tearing a hole in reality. She looked at the much shorter girl before making her way into the dark void once more.

0/0

After that meeting, Chiyoko stayed away from the human realm. As much as she liked the world, it wasn't worth her life just yet. Maybe when she was stronger and faster but at the moment it wasn't worth it.

She did however find a loophole in using Negacion. It's an ability that she can't use in Hueco Mundo but it says nothing about the space available when she uses Garganta. So, she practiced there at least twice a day with the ability. It was slow going but she was making progress. Now the beam of yellow energy almost touched upon the ground. It still shattered rather easily but she vowed by the time she finished that she wouldn't have that issue.

Growling, Chiyoko slammed her fist into the wall of her cave. She hated having to stay in Hueco Mundo. She felt a strong connection to the human world but couldn't figure out the reason. Maybe it is because she had lived in it two times already? But that wouldn't explain it, not really. To make it worse, that very same connection had flared when that boy came near her.

It was confusing. It upset her like she never thought she would be able to. And none of it made any since to her. If she could go back into the human world without getting attacked by the blasted soul Society, then she could figure out what it was about that boy that seemed to draw her. But she didn't want to harm any of them just because she was curious. IF she was lucky, she will figure out as more of her memories return to her.

As she pulled her fist from chamber wall she watched as dust poured out of the hole. While it slowly sprinkled down upon the ground, she looked around the chamber. During her time in the human world she had _acquired_ some things from a few antique shops that she had seen.

First thing first, her floor was no longer just dull dark grey stone. She had found a very beautiful rug that was a perfect circle and some well-crafted swords to decorate the walls. She wasn't ever going to use them but they looked nice. And in replace of her pile of hollow skins was a massive pile of pillows. Why an antique shop had a bunch of pillows, she wasn't sure, but she had taken a few off their hands. That was all she had but she planned on getting more if she was ever able to go back to the living world.

As the last speck of dust fell upon her floor, she snarled at the innocent hole. Without even thinking about it she charged up a small Cero and blasted it into the stone wall. Instantly it dug into the rock like a drill, going deeper and deeper.

Realization of what she had done in her anger made her cut off her flow of energy to the attack. She didn't want to destroy her home just because she was pissed over her situation. Shaking her head, she turned away from the new tunnel. This was something she just couldn't deal with right now.

Focusing her Spirit Energy, she formed a Garganta and slipped into the void. As always it was a pure black space with no visible exit once her gateway closed. Getting right into business, she turned her palm down and channeled her energy into the palm of her hand. Where before her hand had just a light sheen of gold around it, now it was a much richer color and covered two thirds of her hand in bright golden light. By the time she had this stupid ability it should cover her entire hand from view and probably make her hand look like the sun. Should be interesting if nothing else.

Slowly she extended her Spirit Energy from her glowing hand and watched as it ever so careful sunk down to where her feet were. She wasn't sure if it could lower than that in here but right now that was her goal.

It was like watching liquid molasses fall from a jar. Oozing slowly until it hit something or ran out of liquid inside the source. The good thing was that when she first tried doing this it had been as thick as paper and as brittle as a bubble. At least now it didn't shatter right away.

When it finally reached her feet, it seemed to warble for a moment before solidifying. Staring at the now solid beam of energy she hesitantly reached over and poked it with her other hand. Glee flowed through her almost instantaneously. When she stopped the flow of Spirit Energy to her palm, she watched as the Negacion flickered a few times before fading from existence entirely.

She wasn't able to celebrate her success however, just like before she felt something snap inside her soul chamber as a flood of emotions from soaked into her very being.

Hate, jealously, despair, and regret. All of Persia's negative feels finally rightened themselves inside her and clicked with the memories she had already recovered. All this did however was enhance the feels she had already developed from gaining those memories.

Clutching her chest, although it was extremely useless gesture, she forced herself from falling into the void. Moving quickly, she formed a Garganta into her den and got herself firmly onto the stone floor.

"AAAHHH!" her throat shredded under the force of her own screams and the mountain started to visible shake.

All at once, her spirit Energy expanded, making her puff out, but it wasn't going to escape. It multiplied by ten and her body started to glow an eerie Black and green light. Filling ever single inch of her current form to the point that it felt like she was plugged into the electrical grid. Just when she thought she was going to go insane from the pain, he spiritual energy condensed inside her.

Huffing from the sudden disappearance of pain, she let her mind calm down before trying to figure out what had just happened. Then something in her shifted once more, making her brace for the pain to return again.

However, this time she felt her power rush inward. Pushing through the darkness that was the outside of her soul and straight into her inner sanctum. Not sure what was going on she tried to pull it back before it could damage anything. IT didn't work though.

Inside her soul chambers a massive beam of black Reishi blasted down from the ceiling. It crashed upon the floor right on top of the center platform and flowed into the dark side. Rolling waves of Reishi crashing down upon each other as they made their way to the Hollow platform. The very second it touched the pedestal it was being sucked in.

When all the black energy was absorbed into the hollow it turned into a ball of pure Reishi. It shifted slightly a few times, as if it was deciding just what it would become and after about six different shifts in size it started to take on form.

Ever so slowly, the ball of Reishi expanded before taking shape. A leg was the first to form, covered in pitch black armor plating, with razor sharp claws. One by one three more legs came into existence before a lean torso start to appear along with them. A tail exploded from its back end and head as well. Every single inch of its body was covered in the dark armor. For a long moment, the beast just stood there once it was completely formed.

Then its eyes snapped open and a blaze of power exploded out from its body.

0/0

Deep within her cave Chiyoko quivered in pain as her body morphed. It was agonizing as her soul shifted and changes, forcing her body to morph along with it. She tried to scream to at least release some of the pain she was feeling but vocal cords weren't finished forming just yet.

Falling forward, she landed once more onto her front paws, unnoticed by her was the much larger size of her paws compared to her original form. Mentally, she howled with grief at the feeling of her tail exploding out of her tailbone. It didn't even bother wagging in response to the pain wracking her body.

Snarling, she snapped in harsh growls and vicious barks as her blackened teeth fell out and were replaced with silver ones. Accelerated growth hurt like a bitch. When her body finally settled, she flopped down upon her cavern floor with her tongue rolled out.

"That hurt!" a soft feminine voice came from her maw, making her eyes widened at the sound. It had been at least three years since she last spoke any language. It was odd but for whatever reason it made her feel like she was one step closer to being complete, at least as a hollow.

Gently, she pushed herself up until she was standing on all fours. There were a few creaks and cracks as her joints popped for the first time in over a year. Shivering at the feeling, she let her form relax a little bit and take in everything around her.

The first thing that came to her mind was that her height was only two-thirds of what it had been as a Gillian. That was probably the first clue that she was a stronger version of her original form. Looking over her shoulder she spotted her tail wagging back and forth behind her. It was then that she realized that she could see almost everything in this darkness, even her own pitch-black body. It made her wonder just what else had changed.

Sitting down on her back hunches, she let herself sinking into her soul. She didn't even bother to look around the dark void and pushed right into the two-tone chamber.

Landing with a light thump she looked around the room. The first thing she took note of was that her Gillian form was no longer there but instead was replaced with a large black wolf with silver teeth and deadly green eyes. There was also a bright red gem stuck in her forehead, which made the exact same one on her own forehead itch. It made it rather difficult for her to focus on either the gem or her eyes. There was also wisps of dark Reishi rising from its body, like it was too much for it to contain.

Taking her eyes off of her new form, she scanned the rest of the room. There were only three doors left along the hollow side, which meant there was one for this form and another for her Vasto Lorde form. But what was the last one?

Sighing Chiyoko decided to ignore the last door and focus on what she had now. Trotting over to the door she touched the frame and a small screen popped up before her.

 _ **Adjuchas Menos Grande: black armored Wolf half the size of a dump truck and green irises, silver teeth, and red gem embedded in forehead**_

 _ **~Cero: 1/75= Energy beam of Dark green beam Reishi that damages enemies, fires from tail or mouth**_

 _ **~Garganta: 1/75 = Rip in reality that forms a bridge between Hueco Mundo and Earth or the Soul Society**_

 _ **~high-speed regeneration: 1/50 = ability to regenerate anything but vital organs**_

 _ **~shadow control: 1/50 = Ability to manipulate the shadows around her to hide and restrain enemies.**_

 _ **~Air-walking: 1/30 = Channeling Reishi (spirit Energy) to the soles of your feet to stand on open air as if it was solid ground**_

 _ ***Vasto Lorde Menos Grande: (Locked) master Adjuchas powers and eat 250 Adjuchas hollows = 0/250**_

"YES!"

Even though she knew she looked silly, she jumped up and down in excitement. She had shadow control again! It even told her what she could do with it, although not how. Guess she would have to use some of the ways she remembered using as Persia. What was even better was the fact that she had instant regeneration. Just thinking about how useful that would be in battle made her jittery. Well, all of it would be good in battle.

Grinning happily, she pulled herself out of her little soul-chamber to the sight of her Den. She didn't get to take more than five steps before she froze in place.

She had to devour 250 Adjuchas level hollows before she could even attempt to evolve, not even counting retraining all of her abilities once more. But the thing was, she had never even heard of an Adjuchas being down in the forest. There were rumors that there was an area above the forest but she had never heard of a way to access it. Could she just wander the forest until she comes upon such a thing or find one of the rare lower hollows that could speak?

Feeling all her earlier joy flow from her being, Chiyoko made to exit her den for what appeared to be the last time. If she needed to go to the upper area of Hueco Mundo then there is very little use of the mountain home she had worked so hard to create over the last few years.

Leaping down the mountain side, she landed upon her paws with a light thump. She looked up once more to her home before turning away and walking into the darkness of the Menos forest. Perhaps one day she would return to it and make it to a true home but she didn't think it would be any time soon.

As she walked into the forest a small figure in black robes and a hollow skull resting over his face stared at the retreating wolf. He had watched the wolf as it raised in power over the last few years and could help but smile. The creature was by far one of the nicest of its species, if the report he had received from the Seretei was anything to go on. More than once he had watched as she slept inside the mountain and to this day it still surprised him that a hollow would go to so much trouble just to have a place to lay down.

Shaking his head, he flash-stepped down to the entrance and cracked one of the few light sticks he had left. Light poured around him and he made his way down the tunnel. It wasn't long before he came upon the center chamber. It was perfectly smooth and dome shaped with a few items from the world of the living. A smirk came to him when he saw the massive pile of pillows and hollow pelts that made some form of bedding.

"I think I'll quite like it here"


	2. Chapter 2

Thalia sighed to herself as she followed the Kurosaki family up to the gravesite of her best friend and her current mother. She had been with them for a year now and yet she still hadn't a clue as to just where her friend's soul was at. It was beyond frustrating when the only source she could find was her friends soul items.

"Come on Thalia-Chan, lets race to the top!" a light voice called out to her.

Pulling herself from her thoughts she looked to see little Yuzu staring at her with playfulness and hope in her eyes. Smiling, or as well as a wolf can smile, Thalia took the child's appearance in.

Yuzu was a small girl for her age, just like her older sister had been, with her adorable strawberry blonde hair and warm brown eyes. She honestly looked like a younger version of her mother and from the tales Isshin had shared with her, just as caring about her family as Masaki had been. She was wearing a skirt and tank top because of the warm summer weather but was also holding a teddy bear in her hands with a gentle death grip.

Not replying right away, Thalia looked over her furry shoulder and spotted Ichigo and Karin a bit farther away. They looked like they were talking about something but what she didn't know. Ichigo stiffened slightly before he spoke to Karin once more, then the boy walked off the trail towards what looked like a tall human dressed in all black as it paid respects to a grave. A small sparkle came to her eyes. She didn't know him all that well but she could tell that he would always go out of his way to try and comfort others that may be in pain.

Turning her attention back to the little girl that asked her to play, she gave a soft bark in excitement before going off in a light trot as Yuzu giggled madly as she tried to out run her. It wasn't that hard to keep pace with the girl but she made sure that she stayed with her to catch her in case she fell. She maybe seven now but that didn't mean she was entirely safe.

Reaching the top Thalia put on a show of breathing hard as the child wrapped her in her arms to keep herself up. Being slightly smaller than a great Dane had its uses for sure, much better than when she had been a puppy. She snickered inside her mind as she remembered the time she danced on her hindlegs on Persia's boat soon after she turned into a wolf. She didn't think it would be a good idea to try that anytime soon.

Still giggling lightly Yuzu managed to get some words out, "That…was…fun! You're so fast Thalia-Chan!"

Even though Isshin knew she could speak, the kids did not, so she just lifted her head proudly. This only made the girl giggle even more. The sound of footsteps brought the pair back to the here and now.

Not far from them a girl that couldn't be any older than Ichigo with short black hair, a dark blue t-shirt, and a pair of capris was staring at them with a kind of sad happiness in her eyes. Thalia instantly recognized the girl. She was Chiyoko's friend, Tatsuki was her name. Thalia could see her eyes were slightly puffy and there were tear trails running down her face but neither her nor Yuzu would point them out.

As she approached them Thalia could see the bandages wrapped around the girls knuckles. There wasn't any blood spotting thought but from the slight tension she could see in the girl's hand, she knew that the girl had been hitting something hard recently.

"Hey Yuzu-Chan, Thalia-chan. You'll early." The girls voice was just a whisper but they heard. Yuzu didn't even say hello but she did run to the older girl and wrap her arms around her as she cried into her shirt. Tatsuki stiffened momentarily but in the end, she held the other girl close to her, like she was some form of life-line.

Just watching them she could see both girls needed to find comfort in each other. Neither showed it openly, but Thalia could tell even after two years, they were still hurting at the loss of the ones they loved.

A shuffle of dirt behind her forced her to turn her eyes from the girl onto Isshin. Even though he was smiling at the scene before them she could see the grief in his own eyes. To this day, he still blamed himself for not being able to save either of them. Thalia had talked to him many times in the dead of night, helping him relief some of the pain her held inside. If she hadn't appeared when she did, Thalia honestly didn't know what the man would have done to cope. She had a feeling that it was something ridiculous like weeping all the time or attacking Ichigo to toughen him up. Thankfully she managed to calm him a bit.

He didn't say anything but he did rest one of his hands-on top of her head, gently petting her. It felt nice to her but this had long since become a habit for them. All of the Kurosaki's actually, except Ichigo. Whenever they needed comfort of some sort and she was near, they would hug or pet her. Ichigo took his emotions and bottled them up while beating up the local delinquents, which also gave him the reputation of being a delinquent for doing it. Another hand rested upon her back, she didn't even have to look back to know it was Karin.

The sound of something ripping and a bone chilling shiver rolled down her spine. Her ears perked up and she turned her head towards the source. She felt Isshin tense besides her and he turned to face the way as well.

Looking down the hill she took notice of the tall figure that Ichigo was standing next to a large black void as well as a young woman. There was a tension between the two but it didn't seem to be of a malicious kind. She watched as the dark figure stepped into the void before it closed shut with a snap. A gasp escaped Isshin but her eyes were still locked upon the space that the figure had left from. Something about it called to her, something she hadn't felt in over a dozen years.

" _ **Chiyoko**_ **"**

It was whispered from her lips but from the gasps from the grown man beside her, she knew he had heard her as well. Lifting her eyes toward the man she could see the grief and hope welling up in his eyes. She wasn't sure what had just happened but she knew she would find out when they weren't with the kids.

0/0

Sitting inside Isshin's bedroom Thalia watched as the man paced back and forth across the room. He was muttering things under his breath but she couldn't make them out, even with her advanced hearing. His fists were clenching together tightly and only releasing their tension with every other pace.

She knew that pushing wouldn't get an answer from him, all she could do was wait for him to come to terms with whatever it was that he was feeling.

An explosive sigh escaped his lips as he stopped finally before sinking down upon the top of his bed. He rested his face in his hands and she could see a light quivering in his shoulders but no other sounds came from his still form. And then he spoke.

"When I told you about hollows, I did not tell you everything about them." He raised head and looked her right in the eyes, "There are different stages of Hollow evolution beyond the regular ones. Every hollow starts off as a regular hollow with no special abilities, although some can retain the ability to speak. Then there's the Menos Grande and those are made up of Gillian, Adjuchas, and Vasto Lorde. With each Evolution, the hollow grows in power but first they become a drone, the Gillian. To be a Gillian you have to devour thousands of souls and even then, it's very rare for one hollow to take control at that point. After that the hollow must eat other Gillian until it gains the power to evolve into a Adjuchas."

A shudder went through the man at just the thought of how many souls a hollow had to devour just to evolve into a Gillian. He had fought many in his years as a Shinigami and a far few stronger than that. To think that each Gillian was made of thousands of souls and you had to eat just as many of them was rather horrifying to even add up in his mind.

"Adjuchas are basically a super powered form of their original hollow form, or so we believe anyway. But from what I understand if the hollow wishes to remain a Adjuchas they must keep eating other Adjuchas and avoid any piece of themselves from being eaten as well, or they are stuck at their current power and form. When they become Adjuchas they usually regain the ability to talk as well but also unique abilities strictly for them. So, no two Adjuchas are the exact same. One Vasto Lorde however, is as strong if not stronger than a captain class Shinigami. They are the size of normal humans with the intellect of one as well. Once a hollow reaches this level they don't need to eat souls anymore."

Thalia took all this in like a sponge and tried to understand it all. Put there was something she just wasn't understanding.

" **What this have to do with what I felt earlier?"** her voice was calm but inside she was getting antsy. She wasn't to know just what she was getting into in this life. Isshin looked her over for a moment before nodding to himself.

"I believe that creature we saw earlier was Chiyoko but she was too tall to be a Vasto Lorde, so that must mean she has advanced to a Gillian already." Her eyes widened at that, "To think that she has only been gone for two years and she has already evolved once. But what really confuses me is that a Shinigami was standing right before her and not attacking. It just doesn't make any since."

Looking down at the floor Thalia went over everything she had been told. If she went by what Isshin said and if Chiyoko did what she has done already, she should evolve every two years until she reaches her peek. So, by the time Ichigo hits fifteen she should become a Vasto Lorde but she also knew Chiyoko. Once that happened she would stop at nothing to be able to see her family once more. But should she tell Isshin this and get his hopes up for something that might not happen? Or should she keep it hidden and only tell him if it comes to pass?

The part that makes it difficult is because of the fact that Chiyoko is technically dangerous to her family, she might not come back at all and if that happens she hasn't the faintest idea how long they would remain in this life. If what she pried out of Isshin was accurate then that means they could be here for another thousand years. And to utterly truthful, she really didn't want to be stuck here for that long without her best friend.

"It also worries me that because of her mixed heritage, Chiyoko will become something else entirely if she tried hard enough." Whipping her head up Thalia stared at the man. For once he didn't quiver under her stare and took it right on.

" **What mixed heritage?"** he nodded slowly.

"Yes, you see both myself and Masaki are not normal humans." Thalia had figured that much since the man had such knowledge on the spirit world, "I used to be a Shinigami but I sacrificed my powers to save Masaki's life. She was what it known as a Quincy, a human that can absorb and create weapons out of Reishi. When she was young she was attacked by a hollow but Hollow Reishi is poisonous to Quincies. I sealed the hollow Reishi inside her by using my own power to lock it away. After that we started dating and the rest is history."

Closing her eyes, she tried to figure out just what it was that the man was saying. Go figure Chiyoko would find a way to become the child of a different spiritual beings and remain human. The girl was really starting to rack up on being beyond a normal human, if she ever had been in the first place.

" **And how does being a mix of Shinigami and Quincy effect Chiyoko? Heck how does it affect Ichigo, Karin, and Yuzu?"** It was small but a sudden pit of pressure pushed down on her. It wasn't enough to do anything to harm her, just let her know it was there.

"That is just what I have recovered since their death. With Masaki's death, my powers have started to return but won't be anywhere near its max in the next five years." He let off the pressure like it was nothing, which to them it was, "Anyway, when Ichigo and Chiyoko were conceived I believe half of the Hollow Reishi melded with both of them. To be honest, I think that it came down to it both of them could learn the both Quincy and Shinigami abilities but I also think that the hollow Reishi either gave them an inner hollow, it melded with one of their two heritages, or it just boosted their powers a bit. There is no way to tell for Ichigo unless he starts awakening abilities beyond seeing spirits."

" **And Chiyoko?"** call her strange but it made her curious. If everything he said was in fact true, then Chiyoko's abilities could mutate into something even more than they already were. And they were already scary to the normal person, let alone creatures of mythology.

Sitting up as much as he could Isshin stared down into the palms of his hands and searched for an answer.

"She already is a hollow, so I think that will be what she masters first. Once she does that, there is a possibility that it could awaken her latent Shinigami powers. How it will affect her I don't know, nothing like this has ever happened before. If we are lucky she will become even more human that a Vasto Lorde and return to us. But its slim, according to a friend of mine. She was already different to begin with and adding these things onto it…well let's just say that I really don't know what will happen." Hope saturated his voice and it made Thalia pray to anyone that would listen that her friend did do such a thing and return to this family. But there was one thing she couldn't understand.

" **And what of the Quincy abilities? How would that affect her?"**

Isshin pursed his lips and took on a slight calculative gleam in his eyes. She took a very small step back from the man, it was such a thing that she very rare if ever saw in the last year.

"I believe it will help her as a hollow. When hollows eat souls, they trap them inside their very being and give her half of the power they contain. However, while Shinigami purify souls, Quincy's erase them from existence." Thalia shivered at that, she knew that the afterlife and the living realm had a delicate balance. If Quincies eliminated souls it unbalanced things and could make life a little chaotic for the living world.

"What has happened is that the main abilities involving a soul kind of melded inside her. She kept the Quincy ability to kill souls but it was mutated by the Shinigami ability to send them into the afterlife. However, if you add her hollow dominance, then is possible that she takes whatever power they have before sending them on to the Soul Society. It's like she keeps all the power and they get to leave the hollows world behind."

To Thalia that actually sounded like the perfect hollow, if anyone asked her. To be able to take on another person's base power and add it to your own while not really harming them in anyway was just perfect. Sadly, the hollow had to remain a beast but it practically cut the amount of souls they had to devour in half in order to evolve. It was probably why her friend was able to evolve already.

" **Will she be able to use the abilities of a Quincy? The weapons and other things?"**

Isshin shook his head. It was actually one of the few things that Urahara had theorized about shortly after her death. But after looking through some of his own notes of the Quincy from when he was head of Research and Development, he came to one conclusion. Once dead a Quincy's abilities leave them with just a higher amount of Reishi as a soul. They could become Shinigami if they choose to but never would because of the hate relationship between them.

If Chiyoko could somehow utilize the Quincy ability to create weapons than he would honestly be a bit scared for anything that she came across, or even some of the other abilities like Vollstandig or Blut. A shudder ran through his mind. IF his little girl ever gained an ability like Vollstandig along with being a Vasto Lorde and possible unlocking just Shikai; then she would rival that of the soul king in terms of power. It was a very scary thought.

"I don't think she will be able to, at least not unless she somehow goes beyond just being a hollow, if that's even possible."

His mind then drifted to his only son. Ichigo was a living mixture of the three main spiritual beings and it was entirely possible that he could unlock all three sets of abilities. And he is in no way sexist but generally speaking while female spiritualist tends to have more control, the males have a surplus of power. While it would make Isshin beyond happy if Ichigo could unlock both his Shinigami and Quincy powers, he also wasn't stupid enough to think that the hollow ones won't come with either one of them. The result he wasn't sure but something told him it would be rather huge either way.

" **So, what should we do?"**

Neither had an answer for that but either way they knew that something was bound to happened in the future that would give them an answer.

0/0

With blood dripping off her muzzle, Chiyoko was feasting upon a hollow that looked like an ox. This was the third one she had eaten since discovering the entrance to the upper area. Unfortunately, for them, there had been a small group of Adjuchas standing guard of the passage. They all had small chunks taken out of them so she figured they were left overs of someone else that had left them as a blockade of any other Adjuchas from entering the area above. Too bad for them she wasn't going to let a half dozen morons keep her from getting to what she wanted.

Pulling herself away from the dead hollow she licked her lips with satisfaction. For whatever reason these Adjuchas tastes a hundred times better to her than the Gillian or lower hollows ever did. It was like comparing an unseasoned piece of meat to seasoned one. Even the blood that flowed from their throats tasted more delicious than before.

A whimper sounded from close by and when she turned toward the source she could help but chuckled darkly. For whatever reason, she liked scaring these creatures, especially because she knew that most of them only reached this level by devouring human souls in the beginning.

Her eyes flashed with delight at the sight of a lion shaped hollow trying to force itself into a ball in an effort to hope she will ignore it. Letting a light growl escape her own throat she watched as the lion took off at full speed up the passage way.

"Weak"

She snorted as she watched the creature run as if the devil was on its heels. Oh well it would be good to warn the others that she was coming, the fight just might be more interesting that way.

Turning her eyes back to the prey she had already killed she went back to her gorging. She didn't have to worry down here in the forest of any hollow daring to attack her, they all knew she would kill them in a second. That and they were still too scared to go near her after her Cero blitz after she became a Gillian.

As she ate, she could feel the presence of thousands and thousands of souls flowing into her being. They were loud and fighting, trying to drag her down into their realm of darkness. Not liking the possibility, she focused her Reishi to flood the area inside her that they were all kept.

Horrible screams of terror and pain echoed through her mind. Some she felt bad for because they were unwillingly devoured by hollows but a majority of them she didn't give a shit about. Hollows deserve to be devoured and she would finish the job.

One by one she could feel them flickering out of existence. Most of the souls she could feel drifting into another realm but there were a rare few being covered in darkness and pain. Those souls she figured out a long time ago were the souls of humans that committed unforgivable sins while alive. Whatever happened to them after she ripped the rest of the power from their souls, she didn't really care, but it was good to know that she was at least sending them somewhere instead of just ending their existence.

It took her a few hours to clear out the horde of souls inside of her and when she did she felt much lighter than when they were there. During that time, she just laid at the entrance of the upper area and rested some. While fighting those hollows hadn't tired her out, it was always good to rest while she sent the souls inside her to their next destination. Normally it would only take a half hour tops to send them on their way but she had taken in a good six thousand souls at minimum.

Getting up, Chiyoko stretched her feet and let loose a giant yawn before starting on the path to go upwards. With her tail swaying behind her she thought about what she had learned during her search for this passageway.

She had tested her powers as she searched and she had to say that her Cero was monstrous compared to what it used to be. Before she thought her Reishi would only densify by twice it was previously but now she knew that wasn't right. This last time she didn't need any more than a hundredth of what she originally used Cero the very first time. So were it used around 300 as a lower hollow, 150 as a Gillian, now it was around 15. If it went on like this then she was scared to know how much it would cost her as a Vasto Lorde or even something beyond it. It could also be that she could keep doing it because she just had so much Spirit energy.

Anyway, after she used the Cero she moved on to her Shadow powers and those were difficult to do. Even though her soul-chamber told her she was over half way done with mastering the ability as a soul trait, she still had to master it as an Adjuchas and most likely again as a Vasto Lorde. Right now, it was like she was trying to pull soup out of a pot with a ladle that had a huge hole in it. She could make the action but it wouldn't do her any good. She would just have to keep trying until something happened.

Shaking her head in frustration she picked up her speed a bit, not even noticing that she was starting to blur slightly or that she was kicking up dirt as she went.

Leaping over a giant tree root she stared ahead of her in glee as the small dot of light slowly grew in size. As much as she loved to scare the hollows in the lower area, she was getting bored of it and wanted something knew. She couldn't go to the human world without getting the Shinigami coming down on her head, so this place would just have to do.

When she finally reached the exit, Chiyoko grinned as the moons light fell down upon her. It was something that she remembered liking in past lives but it also reminded her of lonely years as Cerilia Atu. Forcing herself not to dwell on those memories of her past, she took her first step into the desert that seemed to stretch on forever.

The feeling of sand shifting beneath her paw was beyond anything she remembers feeling. It was sharp and she was pretty sure that if she wasn't armor plated then it would have sliced into her flesh like it was nothing.

Bending down lower she looked as close as she could at the sand. As the light sparkled over it she looked in wonder. It wasn't sand she was standing on but actually tiny shards of glass! If a regular human soul stepped on this their feet and lower legs would be shredded to ribbon with just one step.

Standing up straight she focused on her hearing, in search of prey. It was strange up here. There was wind and a light coolness that didn't seem to make it down to the lower area. It was harder for her to pick up on sounds with these new factors but with a bit of pure stubbornness she forced herself to focus on the sounds around her.

She could hear what sounded like hammers slamming on stone in the distance, which really didn't make any since. Tuning that one out she listened for the more natural sounds. There was a roar of a hollow, the beat of wings coming from different sources, a loud cheering off in the distance, and another that sounded like voices talking. She picked up on three such groups but choose to ignore them as well. If they were talking then they knew how to work together better and were usually in a group of at least two or more.

There was also the chance that these Adjuchas were stronger than the ones down at the bottom of the passageway and she didn't want to face such groups until she could use her powers way better than she currently can.

Howling for no reason, she sprung off into the glass desert in search of something to eat.

0\0

Staring at her shadow, Chiyoko tried to channel her energy and make it move. That was all she was trying to do this time. Heck even a flicker would be better than the normal stillness she obtained when she tried.

Focusing the energy into her paws she tried to channel into the dark substance but for some reason when she tried it would act like she was pushing it into a solid wall of metal. Pushing harder she tried to smash through the barrier but the second it slammed into it a shot of pain shoot through her body.

"It's like punching a freaking wall" she growled in frustration.

Trying once more she tried taking at least half of her Reishi and throw it into the shadow. It slammed into it with a heavy band that only seemed to echo inside her own mind. Breathing heavily, she pulled back a little bit on her energy and laid out enough to just cover the strange barrier that she was feeling. It was nonsubstance, like a force field, but she could feel a bit of her Reishi dip inside just a tiny bit.

Grinning like a loon she cheered in delight at the slight crack she had managed to create. It didn't last long though, as a loud growl sounded from behind her.

Pausing for a moment, she pulled her Reishi back into her core before turning around. To her surprise there was a pack of Hollows that had managed to surround her while she was focused elsewhere. Cursing to herself she couldn't believe she lost focus on the world around her. In this life that was almost as good as dead.

To her surprise, she came upon a pack of 6 hollows with all but one being an Adjuchas rank hollow. There was another bull type hollow, one that looked like an ape that had large shield like extensions on his arms, another looked kind of like a weird skeleton with its helmet being a vertical slitted faceplate and no visible mouth. Next to him was one that looked like a giant worm with a bandage wrapped around the right side of its mask. There was a Gillian rank hollow but she could tell that it had a dominate soul because of its odd mask.

What really caught her attention was the panther type hollow. Its body was compact and agile with almost pure white plates and black that filled the small gapes. She could also see the bloodlust in its bright blue eyes.

"Well look what we have here boys, an unlucky fucking bastard that's what!" the panther snarled out at her which only made her growl back in return. She never was a big fan of cats. The others laughed like it was some kind of joke.

"Shut your maw you idiotic feline!" she spat out at him. As one they all took a small step back from her before the grin on the cat's face got even bigger and he marched right up to her, not even caring that she was a bit bigger than him.

"Oh, a bitch then! Well you know what happens to bitches like you up here?" nasty green saliva flew from his mouth and landed on her face. If she had a real face she was sure it would have been twitching like mad.

Glaring at the cat, she didn't think twice before raising her paw and quickly as she could she smashed his face into the sand beneath them. Pressing down on his head, she snarls at the cat's group members. All of them took a step forward but as she increased both her glare and the pressure she was putting on them, they stopped.

"If you try and mess with me again I will kill you, slowly and most painfully. Am I understood!" her voice carried as she tried to stress her point. She was not a fan of being attacked when she was busy with something. Call it what you will but she was a bit of a hypocrite seeing as she had no issue doing the same thing to another hollow. Although she did it on her own and not a group like this one apparently did.

"Yes ma'am!" they all yelled while she felt a light nod from the cat. Sending them one last glare she lifted her paw off of the stupid cat's head and took a step back.

Not a second later that panther pulled its head from the sand and glared at her with utter hate in its eyes, "You stupid fucking Bitch! Do you know who the fuck I am!" a light explosion of sand erupted away from the cat's body and a slight pressure of Reishi pushed down on her but she ignored the last one.

A dull stare was all she could muster, "Does it look like I care? I've got better things to do than listen to some stupid cat and its since of entitlement. Go bother someone else." As one the entire group just started at her with lightly parted jaws.

Feeling fed up with them already, Chiyoko turned her back to them and walked away. She knew that to a hollow or any warrior, it was disrespectful and sometimes idiotic to turn you back on an enemy but she knew they couldn't harm her. From what she was able to sense, none of them were as strong as her. Which was rather sad considering that they were definitely older than her.

"If I see you again I'll fucking kill you, ya stupid bitch! You'll regret the day you dared disrespect the king of Hueco Mundo!" his yell echoed off the landscape and she could help but snort at his proclamation.

King indeed! If the stupid cat was the king of this world then he would be more powerful, have more minions than those five, and would not be an Adjuchas but a Vasto Lorde. That was without counting the fact that she would never follow a stupid cat anyway. She'd kill it first.

As she trotted through the sands she focused a small bit of Reishi into the soles of her paws and started running just a touch above the sand dunes. Seeing as she couldn't seem to access her shadows just yet, she might as well as train the other abilities up while she could. If anything, it might just be that she needed more control of her current level of power to access it.

0/0

Ichigo frowned at the ghost before him as he walked home from his day of school. For whatever reason this ghost girl had been floating right in front of him ever since she drifted through the wall while he was using the bathroom after gym class. Both of them had been a blushing mess after that, especially him because it was him that she floated in on.

Her head was tilted to the side in wonder as she looked him up and down. She had been doing this for a few hours already and still couldn't seem to come to terms with the fact that he could see her. Frowning was his go to expression these last few years and it seemed to work on most girls, family members and Tatsuki notwithstanding, but for whatever reason it didn't seem to work on this spirit.

She cocked her head to the other side as if the different angle would help her understand what was going on. Her dark brown pigtail swished from one side to the other. Feeling his eye starting to twitch slightly he forced himself to look past her translucent form and on the road in front of him.

"I don't get it! How can you see me!" the girl whined, making his ears hurt. He would think that a ghost would be happy that they can be seen but nope she's crying about it.

She reached forward and tried to poke him for what must have been the hundredth time this afternoon but her finger just phased right through him. Shivering at the cold feeling he always got when she did this he slapped her hand away from him and all she did was pout.

"That was mean Ichigo-kun!" her high voice yelled out in false pain. Scowling at the girl, he speeds up but it didn't do anything as she just floated faster.

"Then don't _poke_ me! How would you feel if someone poked you all the time?!" He spoke harshly and immediately regretted it when tears started welling up in her eyes. Sighing he tried to apologize, "Sorry, just done cry, okay?" internally he cursed at himself for never being able to stand watching girls cry. He blamed that on his younger sisters and his need to make them happy.

"Kay!" she chirped with a happy smile back upon her lips.

Deciding to ignore the ghost girl as best as he could, Ichigo though back to the day he meet that strange tall figure at the cemetery a few years ago. She had a strange presence about her but he couldn't for the life of him figure out what she had been. There was an odd pull toward her but without being able to speak and his family worrying about him, he hadn't been able to get anything out of her.

Now he knew that the figure had been a ghost of some kind but he hadn't figured out just what kind it was. He had never seen one like it ever before. Tall black figure, wrapped in an equally black cloak, and unable to speak. All the other ghosts he had meet, from two years before that day and the three years after it, not a single on had been like it at all. It was beyond frustrating and the one time he had tried asking his dad about it the bastard had told him that tall dark ghosts don't exist. Yeah right, he'd seen one.

The clicking of shoes brought him pack from his thoughts. Still frowning he looked over his shoulder and saw Tatsuki hurrying towards him. It wasn't noticeable to most people but his frown lightened up just a little bit.

"Hey Ichigo! Mind if I come over for a little bit?" she was smiling at him with hope in her eyes and he just couldn't deny it.

"Sure Tatsuki, you know you're always welcome." She flushed lightly at his words but she always asked anyway.

"Thanks, Ichigo" her voice mumbled out but he heard it either way.

Walking down together down the road, Ichigo didn't even know why he was getting stared at by his fellow male's students nor did he notice that Tatsuki was glaring at them for being idiots.

Turning his mind inward, Ichigo thought over all that had changed in the last few years since he met Tatsuki at his sister's grave. Ever since that day she had been coming over every Friday night to pay her respects to the memorial they had set up for the deceased Kurosaki women. Even though it was over a sad event, it still made Ichigo a little bit happier to know that his sister really did have such a good friend.

They weren't the best of friends but they were still friends, that title was held by Orihime and his sister. In the last five years, he didn't think Tatsuki had honestly changed that much from what she had been like back when they were nine. She was still the karate abscessed tomboy that tried to protect those that couldn't do it themselves. That he was sure she had gotten from Chiyoko, who he was pretty sure had gotten from their mother.

Himself on the other hand had changed a lot. Where before he was a happy, smiling, and excitable young boy; now he was fairly quiet, had a temper, fought delinquents, and scowled at almost everything. But he still cared for people, most people wouldn't believe that, and tried his best to make them happy.

Sighing he ignored both ghost and human girl as he strolled his way into his house. From the ambulance outside he knew that someone had been brought into the clinic, so his dad wouldn't be around to harass them over something that wasn't happening.

Tatsuki strolled right passed the Strawberry blonde boy and went right towards the memorial. Stopping before the picture, she bowed to it and then turned her eyes upon her lost friend. Sadness came to her eyes as she looked at her wolf eared and bushy tailed friend's smiling face. Reaching up she gently ran her fingers over the young girls pretty smile.

Even after doing this once a week she still shook when she did this. Whether she knew it then or not, she had come to have more than friendly feeling for the furry girl back then but she hadn't known it until after she was taken away from her. Small sobs escaped her as her shaking intensified.

 _Why? Why did she have to be taken? It just wasn't fair! If I had just invited her over that night this would never have happened to her. It…just isn't fair._

The thoughts had wreaked havoc upon her mind for five years now and no matter what she tried the just couldn't make them go away. She had blamed herself for years for something she couldn't have ever known would happen. She didn't even blame Ichigo or their mother for what happened. Just herself.

Pain ripped through her heart but she tried not to let it show to those around her. As another sob escaped her, she forced her eyes away from her friends smiling face, it just hurt too much.

Instead she let her eyes fall upon the items that Chiyoko had left behind. She had to smile when she remembered all the times Chiyoko had told all their sensei's in school and the dojo that she was never going to take them off. It was always funny to her when they would get shocked for trying and when they tried to get her friend in trouble she always pointed out that it wasn't her fault the jewelry didn't like them. She never could figure out how that trick worked.

Looking at the necklace she wondered after all these years what all the bead meant. There were six of them in all. One with a skull and trident, another with a ship, the next had a pine tree, then there was what looked like a maze, the second to last one had a bizarre set of golden swirls all over its surface, and the final one had a what looked like a list of names running all over its surface. The largest one by far was the one that looked like it said Persia Jackson, like they were someone very important.

The purple stone in the center was as always beautiful, although she did wonder why it seemed to glow. After that her eyes fell upon the engagement ring and couldn't help but think that it might have been her mothers. She had never been brave enough to dare ask such a question. The shiny silver gear that was next to it also confused her many of times but she was pretty sure that the closed locket was by far the second most confusing.

Ichigo had shown it to her once and she was shocked to see the pictures of various famous, or infamous depending on who you ask, martial artists that rose up in the mid-80s to early 90s. It made no since to her but she had learned that one of their relatives or wives had Wolfie parts just like her friend. But why Chiyoko had such a thing she didn't know. It confused her so much just trying to think about it.

It wasn't long after Ichigo had shown her this that she had looked into them all. Apparently, the girl that was like Chiyoko had been smart, like extremely so, and had gotten four or five doctorates in six years of studying over in the UK. She was also the ranking grandmaster of the Anything Goes fighting style which really confused her since Chiyoko had used that style on her during their fights. To make it all even more confuddled, Haruka Saotome also had wolf parts, weird markings upon her body, intersex, and had a fake arm. It was all just to similar. And to make it more so, when she managed to find a picture of the girl she was blown away that the woman in her mid-thirties had the _exact_ same jewelry as her friend had.

Unfortunately, she couldn't ask her about it since Chiyoko died five years ago and Haruka passed away in her sleep just last year. So, she would have to ask the grieving family about her and she didn't think that was a good idea.

Shaking her head, she tore her eyes from the necklace and let them settle upon the bracelet. It was similar to the necklace in terms of the purple stone set inside it but this one had a solid silver band that hugged the wrist. Connected to it were just two charms, although there had been three in the past. A golden hourglass and a green diamond that look like what you would see in a video game. Neither had any wear and tear on them but then again, Chiyoko always took great care of her things.

Then her eyes fell upon the multi-metal weapon that was resting on its own stand right beside the other one. To this day, none of the Kurosaki's could tell where her friend had gotten such a blade. It had a pure black handle and chain while the main part of the blade was a dark green color with an amber wave design in the middle and the edging was just as black as the rest. It was definitely something that would make any swordsmith or blade user want to drool over. But thankfully nobody would dare steal it because in order to pay the Kurosaki's back they would have to utterly bankrupt japan and a few dozen other countries to do it.

Sighing to herself, she whipped her tears away with her sleeve and looked over her shoulder to where Ichigo was standing. He still had that same frown upon his face that he had been wearing for the last few years. Most people had actually thought that by now his face was frozen like that and almost none of them seemed to remember that he hadn't always been like this. It was kind of sad to see now but she could understand why he was this way.

He had lost his other half, his twin. Whenever Chiyoko hadn't been spending time with her, she was always with her twin. Making him happy, teasing him, and just being there for him. And after that night she was ripped from all of their lives in one quick moment. Even though she had always meant so much to her, Tatsuki knew that her best friend had meant a hundred times more to Ichigo.

She had more than once been there to comfort the scarred teen over the years when he starts wallowing in quilt over the death of his mother and sister. He had tried to tell her about the void of darkness after it happened but in the course of the months afterward he seemed to have really started believing that it was a figment of his own imagination. She wasn't sure if that was true but she still remembered the utter seriousness in his eyes as he told her about it. Those were not the eyes of a child making up a story.

Leaving her grief at the foot of the memorial, Tatsuki went over to her friend to try and cheer him up. It may not always work but it was all she could think of to do.

0/0

Back in Hueco Mundo Chiyoko was staring at the screen before her inside her soul chamber. Her lips were pulled back in a snarl as she stared at the stupid screen and wondered just what she was doing wrong.

It had already been three years since she first came upon the passageway to the glass desert and she still hadn't managed to crack through that damn barrier that was blocking her from her shadows. And she was really starting to get pissed off about that little fact. Everything else she had already completed as much as it could go and this was all she needed to evolve into a Vasto Lorde but something was holding her back, she just didn't know what.

Scanning the screen more she tried to pick out a piece of information that might be of use. She starred at the memory seal section, just looking for a hint. There didn't appear to be any hints in the negative side of her mind but what if there was one on the positive?

Dropping her eyes, she starred at the screen even harder. Shikai and Banki…those were Shinigami technics. Why or better yet, how would she be able to accomplish pulling off such a thing? She was a hollow, they couldn't use Shinigami skills and yet, this stupid screen was telling her she would be able to when she eventually evolved enough. But just what could she become.

 **~Fifth life: (Locked) Life Name Unlocked by completing fourth life; Completely unlock by becoming an arrancar**

Blinking she read that line another time. What in the world was an arrancar! She had never even heard of such a term before and yet this thing seemed to think there was such a thing. It was too weird for her to understand without someone explaining it.

"Gaaah! I hate this stupid thing at times!" she shouted to the empty room but it did nothing to relieve her of her stress, even her eye was starting to twitch!

Using her nose, she forced the stupid thing to scroll down towards her abilities. The first thing she did was look at her temporary abilities which only expanded upon her evolutionary line so far.

 **Temporary skills^**

 ***Standard hollow:** Black armor plated wolf with bright green eyes(Complete)

* **Gillian Menos Grande:** around 1.5 stories tall hollow covered in a black cloth with a black mask of a wolf with green irises (Complete)

 ***Adjuchas Menos Grand:** black armored Wolf half the size of a dump truck and green irises, silver teeth

Cero: 75/75= Energy beam of Dark green beam Raishi that damages enemies, fires from tail or mouth

~Garganta: 75/75 = Rip in reality that forms a bridge between Hueco Mundo and Earth or the Soul Society

high-speed regeneration: 50/50 = ability to regenerate anything but vital organs

~shadow control: 1/50 = Ability to manipulate the shadows around her and form weapons in the form of a sword, bow, or throwing knives.

~Air-walking: 30/30 = Channeling raishi (spirit Energy) to the souls of your feet to stand on open air as if it was solid ground

 ***Vasto Lorde Menos Grande: (Locked) master Adjuchas powers and eat 250 Adjuchas hollows = 250/250**

 ***Arrancar: (locked) master Vasto Lorde powers and rip off mask in Urahara's underground training grounds**

 **Transcended soul: (Locked) Complete all Arrancar and Shinigami powers, join both true resurreccion blade and banki into Asauchi**

Her eyes locked onto the last two on the list. She didn't know if it was on purpose but for whatever odd reason, this game screen told her how to evolve into something higher than what she currently was. She ignored the shadow control in the Adjuchas section and focused purely on the Arrancar.

How was she supposed to find this Urahara and how did he have a training ground in the ground? Just by the sound of it, she figured that this mysterious man was either in the human realm or the soul society. Neither of which she could go to without getting herself killed which she didn't want to do anytime soon. But there was one other part she wasn't too sure about.

Ripping her mask off, it made her queasy just thinking about it. A mask is a hollows source of power, its core. If she ripped hers off then wouldn't she be tearing away all the power she had amassed in the last five years? Shaking her head, she tried to figure this out.

Obviously, the screen was telling her that she had to do this if she wanted to advance in her powers and she had never been one to just let her abilities sit half-finished but she didn't know anything about the Arrancar in the first place. How would it affect her powers? Would she get her soul items back or would she lose them? She highly doubted anyone in Hueco Mundo would be able to tell her just what would happen if she made it to this stage. And from the looks of it this Urahara held a key to doing that stage of evolution. But it said nothing about him being able to help her before that.

No time like the present. Focusing her mind, she forced herself out of her inner chamber and into the moonlit sky of Hueco Mundo.

Looking around she searched for any idiots trying to follow her but upon not seeing any, she called up a Garganta and jumped in. Little did she know that this would be the last time she would see Hueco Mundo for a few years.

0/0

Deep within the park of Karakura town a piece of reality ripped to show a black void. Slowly, a black armored wolf with bright green eyes and a red gem embedded into its forehead that was the size of a regular horse, eased its way out of the void.

As soon as Chiyoko was completely out of Garganta it snapped shut without a single sound. Taking a moment, she did her dandiest to suppress her Spiritual energy as much as she could. Why she hadn't thought of this while travelling thought the Garganta she had no clue but at least she did it now.

Once she got it as low as she possible could without it exploding outward, she focused a touch of energy to the soles of her paws and leapt into the air and started running upward until she was clear of the trees. Looking out upon the Horizon she took note that she was in the middle of a forest just inside a fairly large city. Focusing her senses, she searched for any Reishi that radiated anything other than human and hollow.

Spreading out far she picked up on at least a dozen. All of them were in their own little groups while one was all on its own. Ignoring that last one, she set off towards the closest group.

It didn't take her much time at all to reach the source but what she found was something she wasn't expecting. It was a school of some sort, with children in their early teens milling about in the courtyard and on the room. The Reishi's were coming from a group of six on the roof and one farther in the building.

Curiosity flew through her. These were all obviously humans and yet, they didn't have the spirit energy of humans. Trotting closer to the group on the roof she took note of that strange feeling that inflicted her three years ago. She still didn't know why she felt such a thing when talking to that boy in cemetery but for whatever reason she was feeling it again.

Coming upon the group she watched as a few of them tensed for a moment and looked around. None of them seemed to know why they had done that or what they were looking for but she knew that somehow, they had sensed her.

Narrowing her eyes, she took in the group for the first time. The first one she noted was the boy with strawberry blonde hair. His Reishi was practically pouring out of him, even though she could tell it was nowhere near its max. It was like it was being muted by something. But she did know that it was a weird mix of human, Shinigami, hollow, and something she couldn't identify. It was extremely strange but what really confused her was that the pulling she felt was directed toward this boy. But why?

Shaking her head, she decided it would figure itself out later.

The next one was a rather tall boy of what she assumed was Mexican decent. His Reishi felt similar to that of a hollow but there was something missing or different about it. She didn't know what exactly but it was like something besides hunger drove it. Maybe it's because it doesn't feel as twisted as hollow energy does?

To the giants right was the first girl in the group. She had a rather well-developed figure for her age and her hair was a bright honey orange color that reached just past her shoulders. Her power seemed to originate both within her and from the pair of hair clips she wore to keep her hair from her face. She was happily going on about something with a bunch of hand motions but Chiyoko didn't pay much attention to that. She was more focused on her Reishi. To put it simply it felt pure...completely and utterly pure with no signs of being tainted by another form of Reishi. It wasn't human, Shinigami, hollow. It was something completely different than anything she had ever known of.

Just thinking about what that could possibly mean kind of scared her. To think that this innocent girl had a kind of power like that. It was mindboggling just to make guesses of what they would manifest as.

Kicking that thought from her mind, she turned her eyes upon the only other girl of the group. She wasn't as developed in the same since as the other girl but she was rather pretty all the same. Her hair was just beneath her ears in a slightly ragged look but it fit her for some reason. Just looking at her Chiyoko could tell she was trained in some form of combat with her well-toned muscles. Looking a little deeper she could feel her spiritual energy as well. In a way, it was similar to the Giants but hers was focus solely around her hands and feet while the giants were his entire body.

There was also a ghost girl floating behind them but only the boy with spiky hair seemed to be able to notice her. She couldn't feel much Reishi from her but it was something compared to most souls.

Even though these people weren't the one she was looking for, it was interesting to see the differences in how their powers were forming inside them. In a way, they were kind of like her. Something different, possible more than those that are like them on the outside. Just knowing that there are other people out there that were different made her feel lighter than she remembered feeling in a long time.

But this was also not helping her figure out the mysterious Urahara that she had to find.

Turning on the soles of her paws she leapt away towards the next group of spiritually empowered beings. Not even taking notice of the boy standing inside the school watching her run off with narrowed eyes and grinding teeth as he clenched a charm in his palm. Nor did she notice the young-looking Shinigami with short raven colored hair that she meets every time she returned to this realm in the past.

0\0

Rukia sighed as she watched as the large wolf hollow inspect the group of teens that were sitting on top of the school. She hadn't done anything but watch them with curiosity in her eyes but still she was looking into humans now. IF she was honest with herself, Rukia should have expected this behavior from the hollow eventually. They all fall to the path of human hunting at some point. She just never wanted to admit that the wolf would do it as well.

Reaching into her uniform she pulled out a small flip phone with a sticker of chappy the rabbit on it. Biting her lip, she flipped it open and dialed directly to her captain. It rung for a few times before a tired sounding voice spot out.

"Captain Ukitake speaking"

Immediately Rukia felt bad for making the call. He had probably been resting when she called and it was very rare that he could truly rest. Now she was going to ruin that.

"I think we have a problem, sir. That wolf hollow I told you about a few years ago? Well its back and I just found it inspecting a group of humans before leaving."

The other end was silent of words but she could hear him getting up and moving about. There were a few light thumping sounds and some hushed cursing before she heard the sliding of a door.

"Damn we weren't expecting it to return for another few years at least. Did you get a reading on its power level?" the sound of wind blasted against her ear, so her captain must be rushing off somewhere now.

"Adjuchas class Menos Grande for sure. I don't know why she returned after all these years but it has to be important. She knows that if she returned we would have to hunt her down and purify her and that was something she didn't want the last time. What are my orders, captain?"

"Follow her and monitor her but keep a distance, I don't want you getting hurt. Report if she does anything remotely questionable." He paused for a moment, "And good job Rukia-chan."

A flush easily came a upon her but before she could thank him the signal went dead. Putting her soul-phone away, she took a slow deep breath before taking off after the hollow she had somehow bonded with a few years ago. She didn't like that the hollow might have fallen to the ways of the hollow but in a way, she expected it to happen eventually. It was just a natural thing for hollows.

If they did meet up face-to-face, she knew that things could go south really quick but she was a Shinigami and she would do her job the best she could.

0\0

Sitting on the roof Ichigo tensed for no reason. His hairs stood on end and his heart beat quickened. Looking around he tried to find the source of it but he didn't see anything. Something was poking at his senses, like he was being watched, but he didn't know by what.

Looking at his friends he noted that Chad, Orihime, Tatsuki, and Atsuko had all tensed as well but just like him they didn't know why.

Something inside of him was pulling toward whatever it was that was focused on them but he didn't want to follow it. He hadn't felt it since that morning in the cemetery and while he was curious, he wasn't stupid enough to follow a pull when he didn't even know what it was.

Frowning deeply, he ignored the pull and focused on his group of friends. Chad was sitting there just listening to what everyone was saying. If one didn't know any better they would think he was a statue or not even paying attention but he was leaning forward ever so slightly. And that alone gave away that he was in fact listening to what Orihime was going on about.

Speaking of which, Orihime was trying to tell them about one of her dreams that she had the other night but while he knew dreams could get weird, he didn't think that what she was talking about was strictly a dream and not just a random group of thoughts locked inside her head.

Honestly, who would dream about being a mermaid and living in the city of Atlantis with five siblings and being the daughter of triton. And yet desire to be able to live among humans while collecting all their junk. To think the supposed dream then went on to where she made a deal with some sea witch that did turn her human but in return she lost her voice. Then meet and fell in love with some prince but then the sea-witch swooped in and controlled his mind into marrying her instead. Apparently, it ended with the mermaid girl and the prince killing the sea witch and marrying and eventually having a child named Melody of all things.

Orihime definitely had some very strange dreams but at least she wasn't going on about her recent cooking experiment. She had a habit of throwing things together and making them taste rather good but their appearance and description make most gag at the thought.

Drifting his eyes upon Tatsuki, he could see she was trying hard not to laugh at her friend's tale but slowly she was starting to crack. A shoot of happiness filled him. It was rare for Tatsuki to truly laugh about something these days. Most of the time she forces one just to keep up appearances but she was on the verge of actually laughing. It was good to see her like this, although he was sure that she would rather see him laugh as well but that wasn't going to happen any time soon.

Atsuko was giggling like crazy, although nobody but him seemed to notice. She was taken upon follow him around everywhere and he did mean everywhere. The spirit was just so _curious_ when he was changing or taking a shower at home or at school after gym. He snorted mentally at that. The girl was an absolute pervert and he unfortunately couldn't even stop her from doing it. It didn't help that he had spotted the girl many times floating in and talking with Karin all the time either and Karin was supposedly in a state of denial about seeing ghosts. He didn't know what they talked about but judging by the light blush upon his younger sister's cheeks he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

Leaning back against the fencing he stared up at the sky. There wasn't a cloud in sight and the weather was rather nice compared to the nonstop rain they had been getting the last few days. Then the air started to shift not far from them.

Squinting her eyes, he watched as slowly but surely a black armored wolf started to appear before his very eyes. It had to be the size of a horse and its eyes were boring down right on them. Tensing even more he wondered why it was interested in them. Heck he was curious about what it was! It was larger than any wolf he had heard of, not even talking about the armor, and its eyes were glowing a bright green. It was like they were looking into his very soul.

Before he could muster up the will to glare at it, the beast turned on its feet and ran off a crossed the sky. Feeling even more frustrated than before he just tuned out the others around him and waited for lunch to end so he could drown himself in the drawl that was school. It didn't help at all that the stupid pull he was always feeling followed with the creature.

0/0

Dashing a crossed the sky Chiyoko made her way to the next group of spiritually empowered humans. It didn't take that long but when she arrived she was a little surprised at what she was seeing.

The building was in the middle of a back alley with just enough space for the building and something of a walking path to it. It was old looking, made entirely of wood with no metals or anything like its neighbors. The sign on top of it gave it away right away.

Urahara's Shoten!

Snorting at the idiot of the man that probably owned it, she dropped down onto the walking path before stopping right before the door.

Should she really be doing this? She was risking purification by the Shinigami's by doing coming to this realm but there was a chance that this Urahara could help her. The screen in her soul-chamber even said that she needed to be here to evolve into whatever an arrancar was, so she would need to come here eventually. But she wouldn't ever get to that point if she couldn't figure out what was blocking her from using her shadows.

Letting out a huff of air she reached forward with her paw and was about to open the screen door when it suddenly opened and she found something being shoved in her face.

Jerking slightly, she let her eyes take in just what it was she was seeing. Right in front of her face was what looked like a massive gun perched upon a small girl's shoulder and aimed right between her eyes. Looking beyond the strange child, she spotted a boy with red-hair around the girls age holding what looked like enlarged baseball bat. Next to him there was a tall man with well-defined muscles, a pornstache, and a pair of glasses. He was also wearing an apron over his clothing and giving her a hard stare. Behind him there was another man with a green and white bucket hat, a dark haori rested over his shoulders with a diamond pattern, a pair of equally green shirt and pants. His hair was a messy blonde and he had a black cat standing upon his shoulder.

"Well…what do we have here?" the blonde spoke in an annoying drawl, "I don't think I have ever had an Adjuchas hollow visit my little shop before."

"No sir!" the man with a pornstache called out. The blonde nodded at his employee before turning his eyes back on her.

"So, what is it that you need Mr. Hollow? I'm afraid if you are here to dine on our souls then I'll have to turn you away." The cheery way the man spoke just seemed to poke at her agitation with each word he let out. Feeling her tail wag in irritation and her ears flatten she stared at the man.

"Why does everyone assume I'm a boy? First that stupid cat hollow and now this idiotic man with a freaking bucket hat!" she snarled at them which only got them to blink a few times. The cat on the man's shoulders snickered some but managed to cover it up with its tail.

The man only grinned at her though and it did nothing to smother her irritation but she had a feeling that he was doing it on purpose.

"My apologies Ms. Hollow, its rather hard to tell with hollows what gender they are. So, what can we do for you?" the kids didn't lower their weapons an inch but she did notice that the redhead was looking to attack while the girl looked reluctant.

Staring at Urahara, she assumed it was him since he said it was his shop, she forced her body to relax some. It wouldn't do her any good to get all snippy with him when she needed him. Now seeing any other way to do it she just went right out and said it.

"I need your help but I can't explain with everyone here." They all looked at each other and Urahara nodded once, as one the kids lowered their weapons before stepping to the side.

"A customer is a customer, so why don't we see just what it is that you will needed." He motioned for her to follow him before making his way to the back of the shop.

Quirking her head to the side, she finally let the rest of her body relax and followed the strange blonde man. As she passed the others she noted that the girl tentatively reached her hand out towards her body, as if she was going to pet her. Stopping she looked at the child and offered her best smile she could.

"Go ahead child, I don't hurt humans just hollows." Her voice was gentle and encouraging and she could see it made an effect on the girl. With her eyes wide, the girl lightly let her fingers brush against her armor plating.

As Ururu blushed her fingers over the hollow in front of her she couldn't help but stare in wonder. She had never been able to touch a hollow before, at least not unless they were attacking her and she had to kick it away. As her fingers rolled across this hollow, this Adjuchas hollow, she marveled at how warm the black plates felt under her touch. For some reason, she hadn't expected it to be warm.

Without even realizing it a large smile came to her face. It had been years since she moved into the shop with Mr. Urahara and Mr. Tessai after her mother had been killed by a hollow but she rarely smiled here even though they were both really nice to her. Although Jinta was a meanie most of the time and that didn't make her feel better at all.

"Are you coming Ms. Hollow?" Urahara called out to her from the back, making Ururu jerked back from the hollow and look down at the floor.

Looking at the young girl as she moved away from her Chiyoko wondered just what had happened to make this girl so scared of people. She hoped it wasn't anything bad but she had a feeling it was. Turning away from the girl she moved along, only stopping slightly to glare at the redhaired boy that was sending the girl a nasty look. He cowered a little but his glare was still there.

Slipping through the back of the shop she was a little surprised to see a giant section of the floor missing. Looking down it she didn't know if she should be surprised that there was a massive room under the shop or curious how the heck they built it without causing a massive cave in.

Glancing over at the shopkeeper she realized he was staring at her quite hard with a calculative gleam in his eyes. He pointed towards the hole and seeing as she really didn't have much leverage, she did as he asked and jumped down.

With the air whipping around her, Chiyoko wondered just how far down this thing went. She fell for what must have been at least thirty seconds in nothing but pitch blackness before she was surrounded in a bright light.

With what little time she had in the air, she looks out around the room and was amazed to see a massive landscape full of trenches, forests, rivers, and other such things. There was even a stead cloud of steam rising from something to the left of her.

The ground cracked beneath her feet as she landed but she put no mind to it. If he wanted her to jump then she would jump. No less than five seconds later Urahara appeared beside her without a sound. She twitched slightly but besides showed no other surprise.

Their eyes meet for a small moment and for a second, Urahara swore he was looking into the eyes of Masaki Kurosaki. There was nothing that pointed to this but the determination that shined through them were just like hers. Pushing it from his mind for a later time he got down to what this strange hollow wanted.

"So, what is it that you want Okami? I can't imagine what a hollow would need help for that they would stoop to asking a Shinigami for." His voice was cool and controlled, much different than the cheery tone he had upstairs.

Looking at the man Chiyoko couldn't really believe that he was a Shinigami but when she opened her senses she could feel his Reishi swirling through his body and the cane that he was holding. Focusing on the cane she could see a light warping of air around it. He must be hiding his Zanpakuto like that. A smirk came to her lips at the genius of such a thing. Nobody would ever think a cane was their blade.

Looking at the blonde man she wondered just how she could possibly explain what she wanted or even how she knew what she knew. It wasn't like she could take him into her soul-chamber…wait, could she?

"I can't really explain it but I can show you. Do you have a way to go into someone else's soul-chamber? I can explain it easier that way."

Staring at the wolf, Urahara wondered if it was just doing this to try and devour his soul. She didn't seem like she would, he had heard of the black wolf hollow that only appeared to eat hollows a few years back. But there was no way that this Adjuchas could be the same one from back then. It takes at least decade or three to evolve into a Gillian, let alone an Adjuchas. But she did fit the profile that he was giving by the Captain Commander. He wasn't affiliated with them but they still kept him up to date with things that affected the human realm. The other captains just didn't know it.

Anyway, he had of course created such a device during his time with the Gotei 13 but he had only tried it on Shinigami before. Hollows were another kind of creature entirely. He didn't have the slightest idea of what could happen if he hooked them both up to it. He could get devoured or develop his own inner hollow, not that it wouldn't be interesting or anything. There was also the possibility that they could merge and that would be rather exciting to see, just not to him. Heck he could probably turn this hollow into a hybrid of Shinigami and hollow, like a reverse of the Visords he helped a century ago.

Well, all he could do was see why she needed such a thing.

"I do have a device that can do such a thing but I'm afraid I don't know what will happen if its connected to a hollow. It was never tested on your kind before." Her smirk fell at that but he did have an idea. "For the moment, I don't care for the details on how you know it but what is it you need my help with it? It possible I can come up with something."

Her eyes glazed over slightly as she thought about it. It wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing if he only knew what she currently needed help with. But she would prefer it if he could come up with a few odd ideas when seeing the screen in her soul-chamber. Not that she wanted to share her secrets with this man, but according to her screen he would be something of a major asset in the future and if he went in then he could help her even more.

Snapping out of her thoughts she stared at him with a hard look. She didn't want to appear weak because something was blocking her from using an ability that was rightfully hers.

"I can manipulate shadows to apparently store things, restrain people, and create barriers of some sort. But for some reason, there is something blocking me from being able to use it. I managed to make a small crack in the barrier a few years ago but no matter how much I try, it just won't expand any further than it is."

It wasn't noticeable but Kisuke's eyes widened slightly at hearing this. He knew that Adjuchas and Vasto Lorde class hollows had unique abilities that only they could use but to have one like that… it would make life much easier for anyone, especially a hungry hollow.

Looking at it in a factual view point, he couldn't picture why the wolf would need help unlocking a natural born ability. Hollows were a creature of instinct and learned to use abilities in battle but something told him this hollow was different than the rest. To have a block on her own powers but no way to unlock said block pulls into question how she could get it unlocked.

It almost sounded like she needed an item of some sort to channel her abilities. Like the Shinigami and their Zanpakuto, the Quincy and their crosses, the Bount and their dolls, or Fullbringers and their focus objects. To think that a Hollow would ever require such a thing was unprecedented. But if she did, would it evolve like the rest of them could? He didn't see how it could but it would definitely be worth studying.

There was also that breach in the barrier that she spoke of. If she had tried for three years straight to unlock it, then it should have at least widened but according to her it hadn't. That pointed in the direction that this crack was something of a key hole, so all she need was a key.

But how would he go about creating such an item? It would need to be something that she could use freely and in her current form all he could think of is something that she would wear. Weapons wouldn't work because she didn't have any hands to hold them in and a focus object sort of applies to that as well. So that would leave only the Quincy type objects.

He actually had managed to scrounge up some of their items from back during the Purge but would he be willing to use one as a base to create something for a creature he should, as a Shinigami, purify and send to the soul society? It was definitely a fascinating venture to say the least but he would have to talk to Yamamoto first and see what he thinks. Usually he wouldn't include his old boss in his experiments but this had the risk of empowering a creature that that Shinigami really didn't want more powerful since they were already a pain as it was.

Coming to a decision he smiled an empty smile at the wolf.

"I can try and come up with something but it might take me a little while. I've never even thought of creating equipment that would work for a hollow. I'll need a sample of your Reishi to make adjustments to the items I have that may work."

Pursing her lips as much as she could Chiyoko couldn't help but narrow her eyes at the shopkeeper. He hadn't said anything that she didn't already expected but she had a feeling that something else was also going on with it. Sighing she nodded her head, if this could help her gain her powers then she would do it.

"Fine, but wont the Shinigami in town notice me here? I know they already know I was in town but…" she was cut off by him waving a fan at her.

"Fufufu silly hollow. The Soul society can't monitor anything within a ten-block radius of my shop. You are safe here as long as you don't leave the shop. Actually, I would recommend not even leaving this area, I do have customers that stop by." His tone returned to that cheeriness that he had earlier and for whatever reason in made her want to gorge his eyes out. "Just no eating anyone or we might get in trouble."

She didn't get to say anything else to him as he disappeared in a blink of an eye. Feeling a twitch starting to form she turned away from the ladder and walk off to search around the area. It was better than sitting there.

0\0

Up in the shop Kisuke walked through the back of his shop and into his office. Yoruichi leapt from her place on his shoulder and onto his desk. Her golden eyes bore into him from her cat form but with practiced ease he ignored it.

Sitting down in his chair, he pulled out what looked like a remote and pointed it at the wall in front of him. With the click of a button the wall slid into the floor, revealing an organic look TV screen. Pushing another bottom, it flickered to life with a low humming sound.

Removing his hat, he placed it upon the back of his chair and ran his hand through his already messy blonde hair. This day was not turning out the way he expected it to. First the massive wave of spiritual pressure had knocked both Jinta and Ururu unconscious and he had to take care of them, then this mysterious hollow appears at his door and asks for help doing something that according to past records has never happened before, and now he had to talk to old man Yamamoto about whether or not he should help the hollow or purify it. Even though he planned to help it either way, he still felt that he should warn the Commander at least that this was happening.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard the deep gravelly voice of his ex-boss.

"What do you want Urahara? I've got a missing Adjuchas class Hollow loss in Karakura town and have no time to find it before it starts devouring souls."

Chuckling nervously, he rubbed the back of his head, "Funny that you should mention that, sir. The Hollow actually showed up at my shop asking for help." That actually made the old man open his eyes more than their usual squint.

"And why have you not purified it yet? I just got word from Captain Ukitake that it was following humans with any spiritual energy."

"Because she's the hollow that was reported to kill only hollows when she came to the world of the living three years ago. She's having issues with her powers and wants me to help stabilize them, so she can keep hunting Hollows in Hueco Mundo. I believe she was searching for me."

It wasn't even close to the truth, or the total truth at least, but he knew that the Gotei were not above using a hollow to its advantage in their battle against Hollows. Although they were against Shinigami's tainting themselves to gain hollow abilities and empowering themselves more than they naturally should be.

The captain was silent for a moment as he recalled the reports from a few years ago. Ever since this hollow started hunting other hollows there had actually been an influx of souls going into hell, the soul society, or just the reincarnation cycle. Much more than they were used to. In fact, it was starting to force them to extend even farther in each direction just to house them. And while this was a good thing because it gave them more future Shinigami, it was also a bad thing because they had been coming in extremely large masses. Thousands at a time just appearing, if they hadn't designated the 13th squad as the one that managed the influx of souls they would have been overrun within a year, let alone the five she had been active. They were still working on it actually and probably would be for every single day of the next two years. He was just thankful that whatever this hollow was doing had stopped a few months ago.

With the help of the 12th division he had managed to get a report that noted an increase in soul population around 62 million at minimum. It had nearly broken them and forced them to actually look into the districts around the Seretei. That had lead a massive overhaul that was happening in each district one at a time. He couldn't count how many gangs, brothels, and other disgusting practices they were uncovering in the Rukongai.

So, in a way the Captain Commander both hated and was grateful for the actions of this hollow. Hated it because it caused them a massive increase of work that was on top of what they were already doing. But grateful because it made the Gotei 13 remember that they had more duties then just sending souls to the Soul Society and purifying hollows. They were also responsible for monitoring the area outside of the Seretei and all those that were in the afterlife.

Feeling his three thousand years of age, Yamamoto let out an explosive sigh.

"You are to help her but I want constant reports on how she progresses. If you find a way, form an alliance between her and the Gotei 13. Even though she is a hollow, allies with hearts like hers are always in need." Neither of them pointed out the irony that Hollows technically no longer had hearts. "If that is all Urahara, I have to call back my men."

With a nod of his head Kisuke watched as the screen flickered off and shut down. Not even bothered that Yoruichi was watching him he leaned back in his chair and let the tension he had been holding at bay dissipate into the wind.

"So, you will help the hollow? What do you even plan on doing that could possibly help?" a deep masculine sounding voice asked.

Peeking through his bangs, Kisuke stared at his furry friend. He had many ideas of what he could do but only a few that he was 90 percent sure would work. He would test his theories creating less useful items first before moving on to the most advanced one that he has. If anything, it should be educational if nothing else.

"Yes, I'll help the hollow. I find myself extremely curious about what it is that makes her so different from the others of her species." Reaching out he gave his friend a light scratch behind her ear that made her press her head into his palm, "I'm thinking of redesigning a few Quincy artefacts with her Reishi as a base. It will take a while to work my way up and eliminate the kinks but I have a feeling that by the end she will have the perfect _key_ to her hollow abilities."

The hard part was going to be creating such a device that can withstand the brunt of her spiritual powers and more if she evolved again.

Forcing himself up, he figured he might as well get started on this or he'll have a very irritated and possible hungry Adjuchas Hollow in his basement.

0/0

Sitting on top of one of the many boulders scattered across the training ground Chiyoko cursed as the charm she had around her neck shattered the second she tried to channel some Reishi into it. This was the fourth one since Urahara tried to start helping her two weeks ago and she still hadn't managed to find a matrix that worked well with her spirit energy.

Hearing a click of a tongue below her she looked down and spotted the man in question staring up at her with a wide grin on his face.

"What are you so happy about! This one didn't work either!" He whipped out that stupid fan of his and covered his mouth, as if that would fool her into thinking he wasn't laughing at her.

"meh meh calm down Okami-chan. I told you this would be a trial and error process. You can't expect things to just work the first time you do it. I'll just have to create a new model and give that a try."

Growling she felt her face trying to twitch but she would not let it. She wouldn't let this idiot of a man see how annoyed she truly was. She didn't have anything to say to that and he took it as a go ahead for what he had to do.

He hopped up onto the stone with her, not even paying attention that he was only half on it, and poked a special needle into her between one of the few exposed areas of her body. Watching him, she was amazed every time he pulled the suction part of the needle out and drew a black and green substance from her.

That apparently was what someone's Spirit Energy looked like when it wasn't being channel outside of their body. It was like blood in a way, where scientists could test it under microscopes and soak it into something like it was water to a cloth. This was how he crafted the stupid charms she was trying to use to unlock her shadow powers.

He was basically reengineering pendants that belonged to a group of Spiritually empowered humans called the Quincy. Where their markings were supposable holy symbols, hers had to be demonic or so Urahara said. He was trying to find the right sequence and so far, each of them has taken to absorbing her Reishi well but the second she applies more the darn thing turns to ash. Something about overloading the device before it could process what she was doing and burning out in response.

It made no sense to her why they were still trying to use small pendants when it was obvious they couldn't handle her powers. If she had this issue as a lower hollow, then maybe the pendants would have worked but not for long once she evolved. And it was getting increasingly obvious that she would need something much more powerful than once she evolved again and then turned into an arrancar after that. So yeah, little charms would not cut it. Too bad there wasn't any Quincy around or they could help them find the right form.

Feeling a headache coming on, she forced herself to lay down and get some rest. There wasn't much she could do here at the moment but sleeping was better than staring off into space.

0/0

Pacing back and forth in front of the ladder Chiyoko was waiting for Urahara to hurry up and bring down the machine he created to go into another person's inner world. It was hard to convince him that doing this might shed some light on why they were having so much trouble with finding a way to unlock her shadows.

"Here it comes!" a voice shouted down at her.

Not even thinking about it Chiyoko leapt to the left just in time to avoid getting smashed into the ground. With a might smashed something slammed into where she had just been standing, causing a massive dust cloud.

Coughing up what felt like a lung she waited for the dust to settle and when it finally did she could only blink.

It was rather tall with separated into two segments. Each of them had wires sticking out of the organic looking machine and what looked like helmets were dangling from each segment. It all looked rather gross.

"I don't think I even want to know what that is made of." Disgust practically enveloped her entire being.

"Well you see…" Snapping her eyes to the man that nearly dropped this _thing_ on her she silent dared him to keep going. "Uhh…never mind. Just put the helmet on and we can get this started."

Sending the machine one last disgusted glance, she took a deep and walked towards it. Shivering in horror as the slimy helmet slipped over her head. To make it worse, it covered her eyes in what felt like a layer of ooze. After this she was so taking a bath and she didn't care if that stupid cat was in the spring or not!

"Okay Okami-Chan, go into your inner world and I'll be there shortly."

Taking another deep breath as she tried to ignore the felling of the slimy Shinigami technology she quickly sunk into her being. Darkness was the first thing she found, as usual, and with an easy push she found herself standing inside her soul-chamber.

Looking around she spotted a picture of when Trisha yelling at her at her for daring to try and help her instead of just cook dinner, even though it was supposed to be Ed's turn to take care of her. That was one of the two memories she had regained from mastering her Cero once more. The other one was the scene from the basement when Allie and Edward tried to use human transmutation to bring back their mother. She could see every line of the transmutation circle and the blood as it spewed from their missing limbs. She could even make out the blood as it pooled out of her open mouth and drenched the front of her nude chest.

Phantom pains shoot through her body, making her breath catch in her throat and her eyes dilate. Flashes of an evil red light flickered through her mind as the scene started replaying itself over and over. She only snapped out of it at the sound of someone whistling.

0\0

It didn't take Urahara long to follow the trail the hollow had left in the dark void. At the end of it there was a slight glimmer in the air that he was able to slip through and his body suddenly appeared. Landing in a crouch he slowly stood up and took his first glance around the creature's inner world. Well more of a chamber or room actually but it was definitely different than most he had seen before. Then again, she was a hollow.

The first thing that registered in his mind was the two tones of the room. One side was made of what looked like Obsidian while the other was made of marble. The darker end was partially covered in moving photos of rather innocent and disturbing scenes. There was also an empty doorway with a single chain spread across it and two more after it. What really confused him was the statue of the wolf's current form standing upon a white platform.

Turning to the other end, he easily noted that it was completely empty besides the three doors and an empty black platform. There was even a yin-yang designed platform in the center of the room and a large screen directly behind it.

Scratching the back of his head he thought about just what this room could exactly mean. At first glance, it looked like one side was the wolf's darker memories while the other was her lighter one but for whatever reason she didn't have any yet. But there had to be more to it than just that. The main key to that was because of the platform in the center and the three different girls in the memories.

If there was one in the center and it corresponded with one on each side then that would mean that somehow whatever that formed there would be a merger of the ones on the sides. What could form out of a hollow and something of light he didn't know but it was making tons of possibilities flash though his mind.

Then there were those girls in the picture…movies…memories? None of them looked alike except for the larger collection of jewelry and other bits that were connected to them. Looking harder at the third section of the dark memories he could see what looked like a connection between metal and flesh on the girl's shoulder. As he stared at it more and more another image came to his mind.

Chiyoko Kurosaki.

She used to have the exact same items as these girls did, even the strange markings on her chest and arms. This had reincarnation written all over it but this was by far the most advanced case he had ever heard of. From the looks of it Chiyoko's soul was in what looked to be her fifth life right now but something happened that when she turned into a hollow she didn't move on and had her memories locked away with each evolution of a hollow.

How the girl didn't go psychotic when she unlocked all those memories of rape from her first life he would never know. And then there was the death and segregation from the second one. The third only seemed to be filled with ridicule for the first six or so years and then it turned into a blood-filled war! He was just short of five hundred years and he never could have imagined what this poor soul had went through over and over again at such a young age.

The question on his mind though was if Chiyoko had remembered all of this at the beginning of each life or was she just unlocking it now? If she could remember from the beginning that would explain why Isshin had always been confused about how his little girl knew so much about engineering, computer science, orthotics, and prosthetics. It would also explain why she always seemed so mature when the matter called for it. She had her childish moments but it was possible that she was doing that to enjoy her childhood and to replace the ones she never had the chance to have in the past. Even he had to admit that if he held onto his past knowledge when he was reborn he would try and make the best he could for himself and experience different things.

Whistling at the thought of being able to do that made him wonder just how long until Chiyoko's soul would stop holding onto everything she learned in her last life.

It was at this point that he focused on the screen straight ahead of him. It could just hold some answers that he was looking for.

0\0

Looking up at the blonde man she could see understanding and wonder shining through his grey eyes. He was scanning everything he was seeing and filing it all away, which wasn't a bad thing really. She may only have just under three-eighths of her true intellect to call upon but she knew it was still leagues beyond that of a normal human as it was.

Following his eyes her own landed right on the screen on the back wall.

"That was how I meant It would be easier for you to understand when I first meet you. It shows everything about me, although a lot of it is locked at the moment"

He nodded once before making his way over to it. Not sure if he could use it without her, she trotted on besides him.

When they got there, he didn't try anything at first but eventually he started running his fingers over the edging. He even tried to wiggle it a bit to see if it could be moved but it wouldn't budge an inch.

"Hmm…I wonder." he mumbled before lighting up his finger with Reishi and poking its screen.

To her utter surprise the screen did actually respond to that. However, it wasn't how either of them planned. The screen went all static before it turned black again with a message written in large print.

INCORRECT ENERGY SIGNITURE! PROPER SOUL ENERGY REQUIRED!

Blinking a few times, she leaned forward and pressed her nose against the screen. Instantly the words disappeared and replaced itself with what she usually saw when she came in here.

0\0

As soon as the screen righted itself Kisuke ran his eyes over it, trying to pick out ever little piece of information that he could. The first thing that he learned was that this hollow was in fact the deceased spirit of his friend's daughter.

Current name: Chiyoko ?,

Past names: Cerilia Atu, Persia Jackson, ?, ?

The Gamer

Title: Daughter of Shadows, Legacy of water

Title: Silent Shadow of Amestria

Title: ?

Title: ?

Life level: 43

Ultimate Level: ?

Health Point: 2150/2150

Ultimate HP: ?

Mana Point: 1075/1075

Ultimate MP: ?

STR: 6

SPE: 7

Flex: 9

INT: 9.5 (?)

Perks^

First human- you were created by the ? as the first human being with both genitals; Thus, making you a creature without limits. Each time you truly die you are reincarnated but will have your memories of your past lives. (Permanent)

?- (Locked) Become a transcended soul

Reincarnation soul traits^

First life: wolf's life- Heighten senses, gets hormonal easily, cravings for raw fresh and blood, and viciously protective of those in your close circle. 10/10

Second life: Queen of Shadows- controls shadows around user to make defensive barriers and restraints, while also opens a storage for user. 15/25

Third life: Hohenheim intelligence- IQ of a ? Allows the user to learn at three times the speed as usual.

Fourth life: Blessing of ?- original curse of ? melded itself to user's soul and became an addition to her true form. Further enhances Wolf life trait and adds ? and ? to the user's body for the rest of their life. Increases cuteness to humans and shortens pregnancies by three months.

Memory seals: progress: 30/100 (14 per unlock)

*Negative memories: Negative actions and feeling imposed upon you in life 55/100

~First life: 100/100 = Cerilia Atu completed

~Second life: 100/100 = Persia Jackson completed

~Third life: 80/100 = Elfriede Elric in progress

~Fourth life: (Locked) Unlock by evolving into a Vasto Lorde

~Fifth life: (Locked) Life Name Unlocked by completing fourth life; Completely unlock by becoming an arrancar

*Positive memories: Positive actions and feelings imposed and created by you in life 0/100

~First and second life: (Locked) Achieve Shikai

~third and fourth life: (Locked) Achieve Banki

~Fifth life: (Locked) Master second level ? and banki and use both and seal them into an Asauchi to obtain ultimate soul form

Permanent skills^ (Skills gained in past lives will not be unlocked until memories are all returned to user)

Aura: 86/1000 ~ 86 meters of coverage; floods area in something similar to Godly power that match user's presence in the world

Presence: 173/1000~ how much you effect the world around you when released from your limits. Increases with age but does have a limit.

Temporary skills^

^Dead skills: Abilities that can only be used by a spirit, either hollow or Shinigami

*Standard hollow: Black armor-plated wolf with black teeth and bright green eyes.

*Gillian Menos Grande: around 1.5 stories tall hollow covered in a black cloth with a black mask of a wolf with green irises (Complete)

*Adjuchas Menos Grande: black armored Wolf half the size of a dump truck and green irises, silver teeth

~Cero: 75/75= Energy beam of Dark green beam Raishi that damages enemies, fires from tail or mouth

~Garganta: 75/75 = Rip in reality that forms a bridge between Hueco Mundo and Earth or the Soul Society

~high-speed regeneration: 50/50 = ability to regenerate anything but vital organs

~shadow control: 1/50 = Ability to manipulate the shadows around user in the form of restrains, storage, and barriers.

~Air-walking: 30/30 = Channeling raishi (spirit Energy) to the souls of your feet to stand on open air as if it was solid ground

*Vasto Lorde Menos Grande: (Locked) master Adjuchas powers and eat 250 Adjuchas hollows = 250/250

*Arrancar: (locked) master Vasto Lorde powers and rip off mask in Urahara's underground training grounds or with a secret item lost over a century ago.

*Shinigami Zanjutsu Powers: (locked) Become an arrancar to unlock

~Shikai: (Locked)

~Bankai: (Locked)

^Living skills: Abilities that can only be used by those that are alive which are either Fullbringers, Quincy, and Bount

*Fullbringer: (Locked) Can only be unlocked with mastery of Dead skills but inaccessible once ascended to a transcended soul if not unlocked beforehand.

^Transcended soul: (Locked) Complete all Arrancar and Shinigami powers, join both true ? blade and banki into Asauchi

Soul bound items (All Items locked until user becomes arrancar; although there may be information on items that are needed to advance in evolution)

Shadoki glove: Shadow key glove- (not created) a white glove with black wrist former, purple gem in the center of the top of the hand, black circle encircling it, with pitch-black metal coverings for the fingers. This glove was modeled after the einsicht glove but instead of expanding upon Quincy powers it will unlock the powers of shadow and make it easier for user to manipulate shadows. This clove can be shrunk down to a plain black wrist band and when wanted channel a bit of energy into it.

Automail arm V1- normal looking arm made of steel 56. Is water proof so doesn't hurt when bathing. There are also retractable claws in the finger nails and small spike along the arms, as well as a sharp spike on the elbow for thrusting backward to stab enemies behind you.

Flask of Liquids- Red and silver flask found in the junkyard of the gods that grants the user unlimited liquid of their choice

Bracelet: 3/5 (Locked from use until becoming an arrancar)

*Scythe of the soul: A Pure black weapon with a wolf head on the top, the blade extends from this. It was originally the weapon of the titan lord Kronos but upon his death you claimed it. It is made of Celestial bronze and mortal still which gives it the ability to kill mortals and monsters. It also holds the ability to harm souls. It currently takes the form of a golden hourglass charm.

*Gamer charm V1- Allows the user to open a menu of sorts that shows the user their progress in different areas. It does not have an inventory system nor can it warp reality around it. Currently takes the form of a green diamond charm.

*Greek: Chain blade charm - Dark green blade with blade with stygian iron edging and a molten amber wave design, chain made of pure onyx crystal and a black handle. Currently takes on the form of a swirl charm but is in weapon mode.

Necklace: 5/10 (Locked from use until becoming an arrancar)

*moon Bow pendent ~ light lavender color with a black swirl design all over it. Gifted to her my the 100- hand-ones. Takes the form of a Amythesis stone in the center of the necklace.

*Camp Half-blood beads.

*Dionysius' Engagement ring

*Winry's gear

*? locket

Companions: 1/2

*Thalia the wolf

She hadn't been kidding about all the locks and unknown parts of the screen. Almost three quarters were inaccessible to the hollow at the moment but it also gave him more information that he was expecting. Evolution and memory requirements were the first big ones but there was also the info on what he needed to create the item to unlock her shadow powers.

Taking it all in he tried to remember if there was ever any information on the Einsicht glove from back during the Purge. It sounded similar to another artifact that he had called a Sanrei glove, could it be that this other Quincy glove is just a more advance form of that one? He'd have to look into it when he left this place.

The next fact that he dug into was the Arrancar bits. They were literally everywhere. Just to get her Shinigami powers, her soul items, and the rest of her negative memories she needed to advance to this stage. That wasn't even counting the fact that she needed to master it and her Shinigami powers while possibly activating her fullbring abilities and become a Transcended soul.

Frowning he recalled a small nugget of information he gained access to after he became the captain of the 12th division of the Gotei 13. It was barely mentioned in passing but apparently in the past there were a few odd occasions where hollows did evolve into this Arrancar creature. It involved ripping their masks from their faces and regaining a part of their humanity. This apparently gave them a more humanlike body, more powerful spirit energy, and their own Zanpakuto. There was rumor of a technic similar to a Shikai or Bankai that returned the arrancar its main powers for a period of time but it would eventually return to a sealed state.

The thing is that none of them had a captain class Shinigami for a father, nor a pure-blooded Quincy for a mother. He didn't even know how to go about the Fullbringer abilities that this girl might be able to awaken once she masters her arrancar and Shinigami powers. Just picturing someone that could reach the state of ultimate release for two of those abilities was a very scary image, three was just beyond comprehension. He would definitely not be telling the old man that she might be able to activate the Fullbringer powers. He thanked the soul king that she couldn't use Quincy powers as well or she might just break all reality.

For a moment, he recalled that her bother Ichigo was still alive and could possible activate all four of these abilities as well. One was bad enough but two of them? And one with an additional set of powers to call upon as well? Yeah, he'd make sure that he never got on either of these kid's bad sides or he'll commit seppuku right then and there.

Sweating a little bit, he reached up and whipped it away, hopefully the wolf didn't notice.

Scanning the list some more he quirked an eyebrow at the reincarnation traits. She already had one making her queen of shadows and yet she now had a hollow ability that was locked from her that seemed to do the same thing. He also noted that it wasn't mastered yet, so that could mean that she needed to master her hollow powers before it would be considered mastered. It probably meant that the power would mutate when she evolved and would add onto that trait.

Taking a step back he took his eyes off the screen and turned them upon the chamber itself. After reading all that information he wondered just what this chamber will look like when Chiyoko finished. Right now, it was split down the middle; light and dark, dead and alive. But what would it be when she _transcended_? Heck, what would she even look like when it was all over?

Her eyes were already different than they had been when she was alive, where they used to be pitch black instead of a vibrant emerald color. Looking back at the pictures he noted that all of them were rather short in stature, just under five foot, but he could tell with every one of them that their muscles were extremely toned and soft looking. He also noticed that they were all rather small in the body development, both female and male. Her hair went from brunette, to black, to blonde, and then back to at least one more brunette while her eyes went from amber, to a dark green with amber specks, to bright blue, and finally to black. Now they were back to the emerald green they had been in her second life in the beginning of it. Heck in a few she was either Caucasian and now Japanese.

His mind came up with all sorts of mixtures but he knew he wouldn't get any form of an idea until she turned into an arrancar. Chuckling to himself, he wondered just what else would be known or needed when she finally reached that stage.

Feeling a tail brush against his leg he turned his head to look at his friends hollowfied daughter. She was staring at him right in the eyes with that same calm look she used to have as a human. For a second, he wondered how she could pull off such a stare when she only had a third of her total memories.

"I believe I know what I need to do to unlock you shadow powers." He couldn't help but smile himself when the hollow gave its own version of a smile, although it looked far more sinister than a normal one.

Focusing he pulled himself from the inside of her mind. Upon feeling the helmet of the inner-world linking machine on his head, he wasted no time in taking the helmet off and flash stepping back up to the main part of the shop. He'd clean up the device later, right now he had more important work to do. Now that he was sure that his friend's daughter was inside this hollow, he'd do what he could to help her. To make up his failure of saving her five years ago.

Unknown to Kisuke silent tears fell from his eyes as he started digging through his archives. If only he knew that within a year his feelings would change.

0/0

Tentatively, Chiyoko lifted her right paw and let Urahara slip the glove he created for her onto her armored foot. Without trying to use a bad pun, she had to admit that it fit like a glove. It was skin tight so there was no way it would fall off as she moved.

Looking down on it she caught her reflection in the purple gemstone and couldn't help but think that it looked like the stone she had always worn since she created that necklace as Cerilia Atu. The hand part of the glove was a pure white color while the circle, fingers, and wrist band were pitch-black. Actually, when she tried to find the joining on her paw she couldn't even tell when it turned into fabric besides the feeling it gave her as it set on her armor. It kind of made it look like she had a single white part of one of her paws but also had a weird rock imbedded in it as well. Although that wasn't saying much since she had a red stone stuck in her forehead at the moment too.

Rolling her paw a few times she marveled at the feeling she was getting. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt clothing touch her skin, or armor, besides the few times in her memories from her past lives. But to her those didn't count, at least not until she regained her memories of her time in this life.

Gently setting her paw back down upon the ground, she channeled just a tiny bit of spiritual energy and directed it into the glove. Nothing showed that she was even doing anything to it but there was a bit of a brighter shine to the gemstone.

Not wanting this one to become overloaded she slowly let her Reishi fill the glove to its entirety. Once she felt like she could channel any more into it, she directed it though the bottom of her paw and into the shadow directly though her.

The second her Reishi touched the shadow she could feel it spreading out along the barrier that was keeping her from her rightful power. Slowly it spread over it until it found the crack she created. It stopped for a moment but that wasn't the end.

In a mighty pull, all of the Reishi she had covering the barrier was sucked into the crack. She tried to pull it back to her before it disappeared but before she could get a good grip on it, the Reishi literally exploded outward. She could feel the barrier shatter like glass and the rest of the Reishi she had built up into the glove flooded towards the shadow.

Almost instantly the shadows beneath her darkened in color, like it was something tangible. Portions raised up like bubbles before popping, some even formed tendrils that wiggled in the air like it was dancing in joy.

Joyous laughter erupted from her lips as the utter elation of having her powers back. She didn't even notice that Jinta was backing away from her in terror, she was that happy.

"I'm back! Yes, I've got my shadows again!"

Cutting off the feed of Reishi to the glove, she watched as the shadows returned to what they were before she took control off them. However, before she could celebrate more a charge of energy flooded up her paw and into her very soul. The Shadokami glove glowed a light gold before something locked inside her soul. And then it was all gone.

Gasping for air she stared down at the glove. She recalled something from during her times as Persia, of her weapon linking with her, was that what just happened? Had the glove just bound itself to her soul?

Remembering the time she visited her soul chamber with Urahara a month ago, she did see something about a glove not being created yet but that it would bind with her. Was this what it had meant?

Looking back down at her paw she pictured having to wear it for the rest of her life and for some reason, she didn't see it as much of an issue. Sure, she would have to take it off when she bathed but for now that was another two evolutions away.

Then out of nowhere a wave of fatigue assaulted her body. Crashing down upon the dirt beneath her she didn't even notice the sound of feet slapping dirt as she drifted off into darkness.

Deep within her soul chamber the last chain holding the door of Elfriede Elric shattered and a beam of spirit energy blasted upward on the dark sides platform once more.

0\0

To the others, it came out of nowhere. A suffocating amount of pressure slammed down upon them. Ururu and Jinta were out like a light and Tessai was sweating brinks.

Turning his eyes onto the wolf, Urahara focused his own Spiritual pressure towards her in hopes of figuring out what was happened. The answer came almost instantly, she was evolving. He didn't know why but she was.

"Get them out of here Tessai! They'll die if they are here any longer!" worry broke through his voice and the last thing he heard from the trio was a whoosh of air.

Focusing on the hollow before him he watched as she shrunk in size before becoming more humanoid. Her body remained covered from head to toe in armor but now instead of the light ridges she had, it was utterly seamless and smoothed down.

She couldn't have been any taller than five-foot-tall with what looked like a white belly that went from right between her legs to the start of her neck. There were a single small band that rolled with the inside of her breast to emphasize what she had. She still had her ears, tail, and muzzle but the claws that she once had were now gone. A strange silver band formed around her forehead and seemed to have melded with the red gemstone she already had.

The shadows around her flexed and shifted as if they had a will of their own but he ignored it. Sliding down onto his knees he gently rolled the girl onto her back, barely taking notice of the girl's tail curling up between her legs to get in a more comfortable position, and started running tests.

"What happened Kisuke?!" a male voice called out to him from besides him. Flicking her eyes toward the source he noticed it was Yoruichi in her cat form as usual.

"She evolved into a Vasto Lorde. I think when she finally unlocked her shadow powers, all her subconscious memories of using them in the past instantly flooded her and maxed out the ability. If I understand her evolution requirements correctly, she has to master all of her abilities each time before she can evolve and devour a certain number of hollows of similar rank. But all she has needed for over a year was to master her shadows."

One of the few things he had shared with his friend was that this was in fact Isshin's deceased daughter Chiyoko and that she was actually a five times reincarnated soul, which was a very rare feat in itself. With part of the memories of her old lives. When he had described just one of the scenes from each life Yoruichi had gone glassy eyes for over three hours as she tried to picture all that happened to someone.

Running his hands over her form, he searched for a weak point so he could take a new sample of her Reishi. It was bound to be different than it was before and the scientist in him was jittery at the thought of being able to look into just how much it changed from one level to the next.

Finally, he found a spot right on the inside of her inner thigh. Unlike the rest of her body this point was noticeable softer than the rest. Although he did notice that in this form she developed what looked like a female set of sexual organs but he wasn't going to test them while the girl was asleep, he did have some morals. Although it was strange since hollows aren't supposed to have any but he just cracked it up to her being an anomaly once more.

Ever so slowly she spread her legs and pushed his needle into the girl's weak point. Where the last time he did this, it was a mix of green and black, now it was almost purely black with just a small strip of green left. It was also a lot thicker than it had been last time. Perhaps it will become more malleable as she practiced her powers.

"What are you going to do with that? And couldn't you have just done that when she was awake?" Yoruichi spoke in an unimpressed tone of voice.

Whipping out his fan Kisuke laughed cheerfully, "Of course not Yoruichi-Chan! The first time that someone powers up to the next level their Reishi isn't totally stabilized yet. So, by taking it now, I can see what it's like between the Adjuchas and Vasto Lorde class hollows."

That was actually all true. The first ten minutes or so of an any spiritually powered being powering up was when their Reishi was in a state of flux, trying to decide on just how it will change. The thickness, the coloration, even the pressure it pours off of it when it reaches open air. He would of course ask for another sample when the girl awakes but until then he had this one to look at.

Standing up, he pocketed the syringe and looked down at his best friend.

"Are you going to stay here or come with me?"

She looked back and forth between the two of them but in the end, she gave a shrug and leapt up onto his shoulder. Cracking a smile, Kisuke lightly scratched her behind her ears before beginning to make his climb back up to the shop.

0/0

Holding her hand out before her, Chiyoko concentrated on the shadows beneath her. Ever so slowly a black ball of what looked like dark matter floated up to her palm. At first, she didn't do anything with it, just watch as it bobs up and down ever so slightly, waiting for her to do something with it.

Reaching forward, she placed her other hand on top of it. None tried to escape her hold, this time at least.

Closing her eyes, she pictured the shape of a fencing saber. Nothing to artistic or complicated but enough for her to wield without much difficulty. Once she was sure she had the image in her mind, she started pulling her hands apart.

It was strange that she could feel the ball of shadow morphing both beneath her fingers and through her connection to it, lengthening it until it was a fine point.

Upon opening her eyes, she came to the sight of a fairly basic looking fencing saber. It was pitch-black in color with a curved hand guard that would protect her from getting stabbed in the fingers. The entire thing was smooth like well-tempered steel or glass, all except the finger groves in the handle.

Grasping it in her left hand, she tested the balance and found that while it was good it wasn't perfect. But she'd get there eventually. Turning to face her boulder she fell into a slight stance that she remembered from her first lesson with Couch Ducket when she was Persia. The only reason she even had access to this memory was because she had been horrified with the fact that she would have to shower and change with the boys in her class. But at least it gave her starting point on how to use the mutation in her ability.

Thrusting forward, she felt her blade piece into the hard stone but it had bent dangerously while doing so. That was one of the issues she had found with making a weapon out of malleable shadows. While it was good for a stand in, it tended to keep its malleability even after she sets its shape.

Yanking it from the stone encasings, she pulled it up to her face and frowned at the slight bend in the middle of her saber. It was nowhere near as bad as when she first tried this, that one had acted like a limp noodle once it touched something. But the more she used it the better it was becoming.

"Mah Mah Chiyoko-Chan! That was much better then next time." An annoying cheerful shopkeeper called out to her.

Now that she had something other than an armored face, her cheek started to twitch and her lips pulled back in a light snarl.

"Do me a favor _Baka_ _tenshu_ and shut it." He slumped over slightly with what looked like a grey cloud forming over hishead. She didn't know how he did these theatrics but she bet it was with some kind of Shinigami Technic.

Ignoring the pouting man, she released her hold on the shadow Saber and let it fall back into the darkness below her. Small flashes of images raced through her mind. Most involved abusive beatings by a fat man in a dirty martial arts Gi but she found that with them her muscle memory of some form of martial arts was starting to return.

She grinded her teeth together as she tried to keep herself for releasing her spirit energy in response. She hated child abusers and rapists to the depth of her soul but it only seemed to increase with the more she remembered from her other lives. If she had to judge upon the life experiences of any of her past incarnation, she would have to say that Cerilia Atu and Haruka Saotome were about even. Although one was sexual, emotional, and sometimes physical while the other was extremely physical and emotional. Both of them were extreme cases.

As much as she wanted to repress these memories, she knew that in order to be whole she needed to embrace them instead. Yes, they drove her mad with grief and hatred but they also fuelled her compassion for others. What she would do with it she wasn't sure yet but she knew that it would be something.

Deciding to get back to her training she focused on the only other ability she had that was new to her. Sonido, was exactly as the screen described it as. A high-speed technic that with the application of Reishi can take you a certain distance in a single step. Of course, it was a little more difficult than that. There was the risk of channelling too much energy and ripping the muscles in her legs to shreds but if she did that she could just use her instant regeneration to fix it, so it could be worse.

Drumming her gloved finger on her thigh, she got herself ready for doing something that just might hurt. The feeling of cloth and metal drumming against her smooth black armour was more than enough to get her ready.

Taking a deep breath, she funnelled the energy down to her legs and shot towards the ladder. What she wasn't ready for was the lift factor and she ended up slamming face first into metal bars. With a frown on her face, she pulled herself out of twisted metal, only to hear the explosive laughter of the little redheaded brat.

"HAHA! You ran into the ladder!"

Feeling her ears flatten against her head in agitation she snarled at the brat. He was laying on the ground rolling around as he clenched his stomach. She could even see tears in the corner of her eyes but it was that smirk on his lips that was really making her blood boil. Something was telling her that this kid got his kicks off by watching others get hurt or fail. And she wasn't a big fan of those types of people.

Focusing her energy again, she activated it once more but this time she ended up standing right above the boy. He instantly stopped laughing and stared up at her with a touch of intimidation in his eyes. With her lips pulled back and a snarl coming from her throat she bore her glowing green eyes into him. She didn't even bother with stopping the drool that escaping her maw and splattering down upon his face. Disgust flickered in his eyes as it touched him but he didn't dare move to whip it off.

"You're lucky I don't harm humans, especially children, brat. Because if I did, you would be the first one I devoured. But something tells me that you would give me indigestion if I did. So why don't you do us both a favour and shut your mouth." Her tone was cool but if you listened closely you could hear the undercurrent of massive dislike.

Jinta lost the fear in his eyes and replaced it with Self-righteous anger. He pulled himself out from under her before standing right in her face, practically pushing his body right up against her own.

"A freak like you ain't ever going to hurt me! And even if you tried, the boss would kill you for doing it!" Spittle flew form his own mouth and hit her in the face.

Narrowing her eyes, she grabbed a hold of his shirt before lifting him far above her head. He wiggling in her grasp and even tried kicking her to get her to let him go but she didn't even feel it.

"Why don't you look at your boss then boy. Does that look like a man that's about to help you?" she pointed over at the smiling shopkeeper. Jinta looked at his boss and was shocked to find that the man was just standing there smiling with that he only used when he wanted Jinta to learn something.

Realization of just what he pissed off, finally registered in his mind. He had problems fighting of regular hollows, against a Vasto Lorde he was a speck of dust in the wind and that was if he was lucky. He stopped kicked at the wolf girl and just let his body go limp as tears started to fall down his face. He had really screwed up.

Turning her eyes back onto Jinta she didn't even feel bad when tears started to flow down his face, although she was glad he stopped kicked her, bug bits are so annoying.

"So, have you learned your lesson?" he nodded but didn't speak and she wanted words, "And was It, brat?" His face scrunched up like he was sucking on a really sour lemon but he managed to eventually spit it out.

"Don't piss of a Vasto Lorde!"

Blinking, she stared at the boy. That wasn't the one she was going for but it was none the less true. Sighing to herself, she dropped him on his arse, she fixed him with a very stern look.

"So, _boy_ , if I hear you being rude like that again, I _will_ be teaching you your lesson but next time it won't be as _nice._ Am I clear?"

He nodded just once before she let up on her stare and once she did, he ran for his life to escape the underground training area. Humming in thought, she wondered if she could use this as a way to turn that brat into a nicer person and not the psychotic one he was currently leaning towards.

Oh well, that was a job for another day.


	3. Chapter 3

Sitting in the in the darkest corner of the underground training room Chiyoko let her mind drift as she channeled a very small portion of her spiritual energy into the shadows. Nothing formed, it was just darker than normal shadows and seemed to shift for no reason at all.

For once, her mind was rather calm without any signs of sadness, anger, or even the emotionless visage that it sometimes had. Perhaps it was because she was gaining more of her true self with each passing day or maybe it's because she was finally all on her own for the first time since she came to Urahara's Shoten.

While she liked Ururu and Tessai, put up with Yoruichi and Urahara, and disliked Jinta; She just couldn't be around them all the time. It wasn't them, it was her really. She had spent such a long time without anyone around and in silence. Sure, she liked the odd conversation but being around people all the time just wasn't in her any longer. How it will affect her social life in future lives she wasn't sure but for now, she was okay with it.

Letting out a slow breath of air, she wondered what it was like outside in the human world. Was it night or day? Just how long had she actually been down here? She didn't have to eat anymore nor did she have to sleep. Days just kind of blurred together. The only way could even tell that any time passed was when one of them came down before they went to bed and told her they would see her in the morning.

She would never say it to Urahara but being stuck in this training field was almost as bad as when she was forced to remain in Hueco Mundo. At least there she had creatures she could fight and massive areas she could destroy with her Cero. Here, she could only practice everything but the Cero and while that was okay for now, she would need to eventually if she wanted to become an Arrancar and get her happier memories. Which was something that she really could use at the moment.

Pursing her lips, she opened her eyes and focused on the shadows right before her. They were already dark but the spot right before her turned into what looked like a perfect circle that was an utter void of any other color.

With a hint of nervousness, she pressed her fingers into the darkness and ripples rolled across the surface like it was water. Once her hand was totally submerged in the darkness, she gave her fingers a little wiggle and marveled at the lack of any form of resistance. It was like her hand wasn't even sunk four inches into to ground.

Pushing farther, she jerked when her finger brushed up against something. Frowning, she let herself get just a bit deeper and closed her hand around it. Pulling her arm back out, she watched in utter amazement as a long black cylinder shape tube came out with her.

When it was completely out, she cut her energy flow. Looking down at the tube she slowly spun it in her lap. Just what was it? The screen in her inner soul had mentioned that she could store things inside her shadows but she hadn't been able to try it yet. So why was there something already in it? Did things carry over from each life when they are inside her shadow storage?

A light dip just three inches from one of the ends caught her finger and puller her attention back to it. Giving it a little spin, she found the grove went all the way around it, like a cap. Grasping the end with one hand and the middle with her other, she gave a tug.

In a whoosh of strength, the cap flew off with an audible pop and rolled across the ground. Turning the tube toward her face she peeked inside, only to find a roll of paper.

Not thinking twice, she tipped it upside down and gave a wiggle. Slowly but shortly the paper shimmied out and landed in her lap with a plop. Placing the tubing to her side, she gently grabbed the roll and unrolled it before her.

"What the hell is this?"

Not even noticing she had spoken aloud, Chiyoko let her eyes roamed over the large blue paper with a multitude of equations, measurements, and drawings of what looked like an arm. There was multiple layers of wires, gears, and other technological things. Smooth plating covered the outer shell to the point where she could barely even see the seams, if there even were any.

Looking it over a little more, she could see similarities between this arm and the ones she had to create as Elfriede but it had a more…robotic appearance rather than motor engine. Just going off that, she knew instantly that it must have been something that her last life created. But why? Why did she create something more advance than the one she made back then?

While she could understand parts of the equations she was looking at; most of it was all mumbo jumbo. Mostly it was the robotic parts that weren't making sense to her but even some of the design in general didn't. Why would she create a device that could link up with the signals sent from the brain to the limb as well as still hook it up to the nervous system? It seemed rather silly to her but that was probably because she didn't have the knowledge that she did back then just yet.

Rolling It back up as tightly as she could and slipping it back into the its tube, she laid it back down beside her and started seeing what else she could pull out of her storage. So, for the next half hour she sat there pulling out dozens of textbooks in what looked like at least five different languages, six more of those blue prints, a laptop that didn't have a visible way to power it, at least a hundred notebooks full of writing in what looked to be Amestrian, a multicolored flute that was mainly black with a wolf head at the end for the sound to come from, and the silver and red flask from the Junkyard of the Gods.

Putting the textbooks, laptop, flask, and Blueprints behind her; she turned her eyes to the large pile of notebooks and the flute. Picking up the latter, she gently ran her fingers over the colored holes, the blood red hole where she was supposed to blow to make sound, and every single ridge in the design of the wolf head carving. For whatever reason, she was starting to figure out that something about her had a calling to wolves in general. It also helped that she may be bias because of her hollow forms.

Lifting it to her lips, she covered a few of the holes and blew softly. A gentle but high pitched sound filled her ears and sparked a peaceful feeling throughout her very soul. Sadly, she couldn't remember how to play it and there weren't any music books with the other textbooks. So, she had probably committed them to memory, having never expected to lose her memory.

Putting it behind her with the other things, she replaced it with the first of the notebooks. Each one had a Greek number in the corner that seemed to correspond with the life she was in. She had looked over each of them and was able to sort them based on these symbols and then stack them with one at the top and the highest at the bottom. Some varied in length but there were at least ten for each of the five lives she had lived, not counting Cerilia Atu's life because she didn't start retaining those memories until a decade into her second life.

Flipping it open she began to read the English scribbles of ten-year-old girl.

 _Dear reader,_

 _Hi, my name is Persia Jackson and I'm 10. I didn't know if I should be writing this but my mama always said that writing my thoughts down is good to be able to understand them. So, I'm going to try._

 _Today I was attacked by a Cyclops, although I didn't know that was what it was at the time. But somehow these really dark spikes shoot out of the ground and stuck into its chest. There was so much blood to but I didn't know much beyond that because I passed out from shock._

 _The really weird part though was while I was asleep. I had awoken in this strange grey room with pictures of things that I had done in my life, like my time with Nathan when we could swim in the pond or my ballet practices. There was even one of when I had snuck up on a rabbit and bit into its neck while drinking its blood before eating its body. I had so much fur stuck in my teeth after that but mama had only smiled at me and told me to go get cleaned up._

 _Oh! There had been a door too. I tried opening it but it would only go a little bit. But that was enough for these strange glimpses of images to flash though my mind. I didn't dare tell mama about that part though, she would probably get more worried about me._

 _When I really woke up, I was back in my room, and still covered in the monster's blood. My biggest surprise though was discovering my Papa sitting at the table talking with Mama. He said his name was Hades and that I was something called a Demi-god, a child of the gods. I still don't know why it really matters that my papa is a god of the dead but they were both rather worried looking, so It has to be something important._

 _I mean I had always known I was a little weird, not counting the fact that I have boy parts as well, but this kind of explains why water always made me feel better and that I'm so full of energy all the time. It doesn't explain how Papa is the ruler of the underworld and yet, I am being effected by water. Mama says part of it is my ADHD but Papa said it was my 'battle reflexes' trying to find an outlet._

 _Wait…if Papa could control shadows and the dead, shouldn't I be able to do the same? I can picture it already. Me raising the spirits of the famous ballerina's that my teacher is always going on about or using the shadows to scare people on Halloween. It would be so funny to trick Nathan with them. Maybe I can tie him up until he agrees to kiss me! But that probably won't work, he's way to shy and wouldn't like a weirdo like me. He's still a good friend though, although I still haven't been able to get him into the leotard. He just won't do it for some silly reason._

 _Darn…is it that time already? Well I have to go to bed now or Mama will get upset with me again for not going to bed at my bedtime._

 _Bye!_

Pulling herself out of the first passage, Chiyoko couldn't help but wonder why she had wanted to get a boy she was obviously crushing on in a leotard. While she didn't see a problem with it if someone wanted to but if they didn't then it wasn't all that nice to try and force them.

Looking though her memories, she actually could remember the Cyclops attack but nothing before nor after it. In a way, this told her more than she already knew. Of course, she had memories of her peers shunning her out of the group Ballet class at Barchey but before that she didn't know that she had taken it for a while before that.

One point that stuck in her mind was that Persia's mother seemed to be perfectly acceptable of her less than normal habits. It probably wasn't normal for regular people to be able to look at a young child that's covered in blood with animal fur in their teeth and _not_ freak out. Even though she couldn't remember the little moments like those just yet, she felt a warmth in her chest and her hollow hole pulsed in response to it. That was something she would have to look into later though.

Turning it over in her mind some more she noted the 'room' that her past self-described. Doors in the walls with memories sealed behind them and pictures of memories that she already had appearing on the walls. It was remarkably similar to her soul-chamber. That of course, lead to the question of whether her current one was just a redesigned manifestation of that one or if there were ruminants of the old one buried beneath it.

She could understand that one's soul would change as they grew and matured but her current one was vastly different than the old one. Persia's had never had her memories linked to abilities nor did it have statues of herself that changed with the more her powers grew. She'd have to ask Urahara about what happened to the inner worlds of souls when they are reincarnated. For all she knew, she could have more than one buried inside of her.

Sighing, she stretched out her back before turning back to the notebook. There was bound to be much that she didn't know about and she could at least get an idea of what happened in her past.

Without further ado, she moved on in her reading.

0\0

Walking down the road, Ichigo wondered just what he was going to do today after school. As usual his family would throw him a small birthday party with a few of his friends coming over to visit. And while he appreciated their efforts, he just could never remain as upbeat as them. To him, it wasn't the same without his sister sharing the day with him. This was _her_ birthday too and yet all she ever really got was a prayer filled with sorrow and proclamation of being missed.

Grinding his teeth together, he wished he could turn back the clock and stop himself from ever going after that ghost girl. But no one could change the past, so he had to deal with it as it was. It sucked more than he would ever openly admit.

Turning a corner, he stumbled upon a group of three idiots skating. There was a small vase of flowers on the sidewalk with the spirit of a young girl watching in worry. One tried to do what looked like a kick-flip but they screwed up. With a sudden jerk of his feet, he kicked the board out from under him and sent it crashing into the vase. The vase didn't stand a chance and shattered all over the side walk.

"Damn, that stupid thing got in my way! I would have had it!" The boy marched over to his board and picked it up before stomping on the now spilled flowers. He was grinning in satisfaction and he grounded them into a mess beneath his feet.

"Please Stop! My mommy left those for me! Please!" the young girl pleaded with tears in her eyes but they couldn't hear her.

Feeling his anger spike at the obvious disrespect for the dead, Ichigo stuffed his hands into his pockets and started walking towards the punks with an audible crunch of his shoes against the asphalt. As one the goons all turned to look at him.

He didn't say anything until he got right in front of them. His head was lowered just a touch were a shadow covered part of his face and hid the anger locked inside his eyes.

"What do we have here guys? A little brat." They laughed while Ichigo's fists only tighten further. One of the reach over to poke him in his chest but right before his finger could get within an inch of him, he whipped one of his hands up and grasped it between his fingers. Putting a little force in his hand he was extremely satisfied at the sound of cracking bones. The Punk on the other hand was crinkling his face in pain as he swore he saw transparent dark figure with a mask on its face stare down on him with malicious glee before fading away.

" _Apologize"_ his voice was as light as a hiss but seemed to echo in the punk's empty mind.

A light sheen of sweat glazed over the punk's forehead. He didn't know what that thing was behind the orange haired brat but he didn't want to find out. With fear in his body, he forced himself to bow towards the broken vase, which was a bit difficult since he had to bow to the left and that was the arm the brat was holding.

"I'm sorry! I promise I won't do it again!" There was no way he was going to mess with this kid again. His mind was finally starting to feel the pain of a shattered hand and whimpered. The other two behind him quickly followed his example. The second the brat let go of him, he dashed off in a cloud of dust.

Letting go of the idiot's hand, Ichigo kept staring at the punks as they ran from the area. Taking a small breath of air, he let his body relax and his anger evaporate as if it was never even there. He hated when his anger got the best of him like that but thankfully this time he didn't have to beat into the idiots that were desecrating that young girl's memorial. Speaking of which; where was she?

Turning on his heels, he glanced over towards the poll that the girl had been hiding behind but she wasn't there. Hopefully she would return soon. Frowning, he walked over and grouched down. The vase couldn't be save nor could the flowers. He'd have to replace them for the girl tomorrow, right now he didn't have any money on him to do it.

Picking the shards up and putting them into his hands, he gathered up the ruined memorial and threw it inside one of the nearest trash cans. Hopefully that girl's family don't get upset about what happened or thing someone stole them.

Even though his hands were bleeding a little bit, he ignored it and just kept his hands in his pockets as he made his way home. Yuzu usually had some bandages around somewhere and if she didn't then the family clinic definitely did, although that would come out of his already mediocre allowance.

It wasn't a half an hour later that Ichigo finally stopped in front of his house. Even from here he could hear people inside running about and trying to put things together. There was shouting that you could hear from a block away and at one point he swore he heard a voice that had a permanent growl to it yell at his dad for almost dropping the cake. He didn't know the source of it but even from his ears he could tell that it was a female, although the growl was weird.

Glancing up at his window, he took a moment to wonder if he should climb up and sneak in but dismissed it. While he could do it with a still bleeding hand, he didn't feel like having to spend the time cleaning his blood off the house. He could just see Goat-chin getting all heated up about him doing that.

Sighing, he used his good hand to open the front door and stepped inside.

"I'm home!" he called out and almost instantly the noise that had just filled the house turned instantly still.

Quirking his eyebrow, he slipped his shoes off and made his way into the living room. The first thing that came to his mind was the group of people standing on both sides of the doorway that held his mother and sister's memorial, as if trying to include them into the group. On the left was his father, Chad, and surprisingly Uryu Ishida. They weren't exactly friends but they were family, although distant, which that didn't come to light for either of them until last year. The other side had Tatsuki nearest the doorway, followed by Yuzu, Karin, and Atsuko. Thalia was laying down off to the side with a happy but sad glint in her eyes, he'd never understand how that damn animal was so smart. These were his true friends and family and they knew it. He did wonder why Orihime hadn't come but he wasn't going to question it too much, she would have come if she could.

"Happy birthday Ichigo/Ichi-nii!" they called out to him and he felt his frown actually disappear for a small moment. Smiling slightly, he thanked them.

"Thanks everyone…um…so now what?" he looked at them in utter seriousness while trying to avoid staring at his mother and sister's portrait, it would ruin what good mood he had. The others laughed, although chad was very quiet and Ishida's didn't laugh but smirk at him.

Before he knew it, his sisters were grabbing him from around the arm and pulling him toward the table. He could only smile and bear it before the forced him down into a chair right before a pile of presents.

"Come on Ichi-nii! Prezzies!" yuzu called out cheerfully while Karin looked at him like he would be stupid not to hurry up.

"Okay okay!" reaching out, instead of grabbing a present, he gently ruffled their hair. Yuzu pouted for messing up her hair while Karin just gave him a bland stare. This was rather normal for them actually and if anyone from school saw him like this they would probably think he was attacked by a body-snatcher or something.

Taking the first present before him and realized it was from Ishida. The box wasn't that big, maybe a few inches long and wide. The wrapping paper was in the boys favorite blue coloring with a white bow on top. Not noticing his fathers worried glances between him, Ishida, and his mother's portrait.

Once the papers were gone, Ichigo could help but wonder why his cousin was giving him a piece of jewelry. He hadn't opened it yet but he could tell what it might be just because of the type of box it was. It wasn't that he was against a guy wearing jewelry but he really wasn't one such guy. The thing was that he never took a gift from family for granted after the day he lost his sister and mother. Might as well see what it is either way.

Popping the lid, his eyes fell upon a pure silver bracelet with a cross pendant attached to it. Instantly he recognized it, or something similar to it. There was one almost exactly like this resting upon a pillow beneath his mother's memorial. Even though he knew it wasn't hers, he knew that he'd wear it just because of the similarity between it and his moms. It would be like a new connection between him and her, although he'd never wear hers in case he lost it. That would hurt more than he would be able to bare.

"Thanks Ishida" His voice was quiet but he was sure the older boy heard it.

Not thinking twice about it, he picked the charm bracelet up and put it on his left wrist. It wasn't until that moment that he also thought that it kind of reminded him of Chiyoko-nee-Chan as well. She always wore her bracelets and never took them off, even when she bathed. And even though it was different than her own, he would cherish it in her memory as well. Closing the box with a light snap he placed it off to the side and went for the next one.

This one was, surprisingly, a gift from Atsuko. Turning his eyes to the ghost girl, he looked at her in wonder. To his surprise, Tatsuki spoke up.

"Don't be so surprised Ichigo, you are her friend. She asked me if I'd could help her get you a present and I agreed. So, don't be rude and open it already." The karate girl sent him a firm glare and even though he'd never admit it, he was scared when girls gave him that look. He may be fifteen but he knew that girls could be even more scary than he was.

"Thank you, Atsuko, you didn't need to but I appreciate it." She blushed lightly and tried to hide her face in her hands but he still saw it. Deciding not to point it out, for his own safety, he turned back to the present. Chad looked on in confusion of just who his best friend was speaking to while Yuzu wished she could see the spirit that always followed her big brother around.

The box was covered in what looked like Christmas themed wrapping paper with little Santa Clauses dancing around and what he assumed were reindeer. Smirking in amusement he could picture Atsuko going absolutely mental when she saw this paper. IF there was one thing she loved, it was holidays.

Being careful not to tear any of the paper so she can enjoy looking at it later, he got to the gift hidden inside.

Reaching inside he felt the feeling of a soft cloth against his fingers. Curiosity flowed through him as he pulled it out. When it was totally out and unfolded, he blinked.

In his hands, he held a white zip-up hoodie with the familiar looking swirl shape black markings on the sleeves as his sister had on her arm. His eyes followed the pattern as if he was hypnotized by them. It wasn't much, just a few lines, but when the swirls reach the very top of the arms, they very lightly spread out toward the chest, neck, and upper back. It was like his sister's markings were trying to envelop him and give him a hug, to be there when he moved his arms as he fought, to lead him in a way that she would be proud of.

Tears welled up in his eyes but he didn't let them fall. It made his sight slightly blurred but he didn't care. Forcing himself to take his eyes of the swirls, he turned the article of clothing around to see if there was anything on the back. And there was.

It was strange by far. It was a black devil skull with two facing forward horns. There were red lines running down from the top of its head, over its pure yellow eyes and down to the jaw. A shudder ran through his entire being. There was gasps of fear from those around him, so he must not have been the only one terrified of the unholy visage.

Not letting his strange since of fear take ahold of him, he took a steady breath and unzipped it before slipping it on. He would have to ask Tatsuki and Atsuko where they had found such a gift like this but he wouldn't do it now when the others were around. Besides, only Chad didn't know he could see spirits and he didn't want to have to explain it to him just who Atsuko was yet.

Isshin on the other hand felt a deep since of terror sink into the very core of his being. The second he had seen the devil visage on the back he had flashback of **White** when it had nearly hollowfied Masaki when she was young. The only difference between them was that this was a picture and its skull was black with red markings instead of being just pure white. For whatever reason, he had the sneaky suspicion that this marking was just a warning for what was going to come. And that only made him even more happy that he had gotten his son the gifts he did, even though the boy wouldn't know why for some time. Or so he hoped.

When he had finally calmed down enough to carry on, Ichigo looked at the table. There were four more presents sitting on the table and all varied in size. Deciding to get the largest one out of the way, he stood up and pulled the pitch-black box towards him.

Looking at the name, he sent his father a rather uncertain stare but Isshin only nodded at him in utter seriousness, which he had only seemed to be regaining in the last three years. Opening the large gift, he blinked at what he was finding inside.

The first thing that grabbed his attention was the plain looking katana with a regular circular guard and a black handle. It was in its equally black sheath but why his father had gotten him such a present he didn't know. Reaching in he pulled it out and held it out in his open palms before looking at his father.

"What is this for old man?" His voice was filled with pure curiosity. Never did he imagine his father would give him a weapon of any kind, he was a doctor after all, and yet here one was right in his hands.

A few feet away from him Uryu tensed at the sight of the blade. Even though he was fairly young, he knew the feeling of a Shinigami's spiritual energy and that blade was made of it, although it felt sort of blank to him. As if it hadn't been aligned to someone yet. Looking over at Ichigo's father he couldn't help but feel a small bit of dislike for the man.

His father had told him last year when he found out he was related to Ichigo Kurosaki that the boy was in fact, a Quincy and Shinigami. And that alone made him weary of the older Kurosaki male. He had known that it was Ichigo's mother that was of Quincy blood just because of her last name and that only left his father to be the Shinigami.

When he had been invited to his cousin's birthday party, he had actually been planning on using it to start training Ichigo in his Quincy abilities in hopes that if he could get the redhead to accept them they would overshadow his Shinigami powers. But it looked like that his father had the same idea. There was no doubt in his mind that the blade held in his cousin's hands was actually a Shinigami Zanpakuto.

Even though he didn't like where this was going, there was nothing he could do besides offer what aid he could in hopes that he Ichigo would also take his offer to train in the Quincy art so he would no longer be alone.

"That is one of the blades that belonged to my family. The Shiba clan were once one of the best swordfighters around but eventually less and less of my family wished to learn the family style. I took it upon myself in my youth to learn all that my family created and now, I wish to pass it onto you. If you want it that is?"

Looking from the blade back to his father and then down to his younger sisters, he wondered what he should do. He was never one to fight with a weapon, he preferred his hands and feet, but if he was given a chance he wouldn't necessarily mind learning how. It was apparently a family style after all, although it honestly surprised him that his dad who is a _doctor_ knew something that could kill people.

But the more he thought about, the more he didn't mind the idea. If he could pull it off and master the style, he could get the approval to wear the blade at all times and always have a way to protect his family against lowlifes, although he didn't know if it would be any good against a gun.

What sealed the deal for him was the urging look in Tatsuki, Atsuko, Chad, Yuzu, and Karin's eyes. He didn't know why they all thought he should take this chance but if they did then he would.

Looking back at his father he smirked at the old man before using the sash that came with the blade to put it on so it would hang of his right hip.

"I'll do it and I'll learn all that you'll teach me." His dad only nodded but Ichigo could see the relief that was in the man's eyes. None of the knew it yet but the simple fact that Ichigo was born with a twin and that he was introduced to his mother side of the family before any of his powers awoken had sparked the creation of the two most powerful human souls in existence, although one of them would be from a different side of the spectrum than the first.

Turning back to his father's present, he reached back in the box and pulled out around a good half dozen scrolls.

 _Shiba style: Zanjutsu and Hakuda_

 _Shiba style: spirit energy control_

 _Shiba style: sword awakenings_

 _Shiba style: forbidden arts_

 _Shiba Style: healing technics_

 _History of the Shiba clan_

Internally he snorted at the titles. He didn't know much about the clan itself but they had to be a little full of themselves if they had to put Shiba style before everything they designed for themselves. None of the titles told him all that much about just what they did or where but they had to be important.

Placing them all in a pile, he turned back to the table and picked up another gift. Sending a quick smile towards his little sisters, he quickly unwrapped their gift and pulled it out. For a minute, he just stared at it. It was small, rather fluffy looking, and had fake beady eyes.

"A cat plushy?" the utter confusion in his voice spoke volumes of just what he was thinking. Snickers echoed though out the room but he paid them no attention. Turning his eyes onto his little sisters, he couldn't help but notice that Yuzu was smiling that cheerful smile while Karin was actually blushing up a storm.

"Of course, Ichi-nii!" Yuzu called out with joy radiating from her eyes, "We thought you might want a plushy friend like Nee-Chan used to."

Turning his eyes back to the stuffed animal, he wondered what he should say about it. He wasn't really sure how he felt that his sisters thought he could want a plushy of all things, he wasn't a girl by any stretch of the imagination, but he did appreciate that they thought that he would want something to connect him to his sister. That seemed to be a running theme with this birthday. Every gift had something to do with his family in some way and he just wasn't sure just how to feel about it.

Setting the gift down, he walked over to his little sisters before leaning down and giving them a brief but warm hug. They clung to him for a moment, as it was rare that he did such things, before finally letting he go and smiling even more.

"Thank you for the gift, Yuzu-Chan and Karin-chan."

"Your welcome, Ichi-nii!" they said in stereo. Chuckling to himself, he noted in his own mind that while it was rare for him to show affection for others, it was even more rare for them to talk like that. Karin tended to be a girl of simple things and as such made her words stick when spoken while Yuzu went on and on.

Tatsuki's was the next gift that he opened and he had to say that it was the first that he could actually understand somewhat but it something he never expected her of all people to get him. It wasn't expensive or anything but it was nice.

"You got me cologne?" she actually had the gall to start laughing when he pulled a face.

"Well you have to start smelling nice if you ever want to get a girl's attention. I thought I'd help you a little bit." Humor was the only thing inside her at that moment.

Nodding to her, as if he liked what she got him. Internally he frowned even more than before. He didn't _need_ help attracting any more girls. He was already one of the most sought after boys in school and that's just because he frowned all the time. If he ever wore this, he'd be hounded by them all the time. And even though he liked girls, he did like his already limited privacy. Just for that he'd get one of the girls to help him pick out a dress for her, so she can get some male attention.

Pursing his lips, he set the bottle of smelly liquids a few feet away from the rest, as if hoping that if he put them far enough away then they will just disappear. The others noticed it but didn't say anything besides laugh a little more.

Picking up the last gift, chads gift. He already knew that it wasn't going to be much besides a card and maybe a small gift card to some place but he wasn't going to hold it against the gentle giant. Chad did actually have a job on top of school just to pay for the apartment that he lived in, so what money he did have he used sparingly.

Opening the envelop carefully, he pulled out a card with Hawaiian red and yellow flower themed on the entire outside. Just by looking at it, he could tell that it was handmade, probably with some of the art supplied from school. It was still pretty cool though, especially considering how large Chads hands were.

Flipping it opened, he found a gift card to one of the towns many manga shops. It wasn't a well-known fact but he liked the random manga. At the moment, he was reading Dragon Ball Z and was really liking it.

"thanks chad" said giant nodded to him in acceptance.

Just before they could go onto the rest of the party the house began to shake as if they were having an earthquake before a bright flash of dark green light took up the entirety of the room. For a moment, Ichigo lost his senses of the world around him and felt like something deep within his soul was being reattached for the first time in years.

When the light finally died, he found himself falling to the floor in a lump. His head was swimming with feelings that he knew weren't his. Elations, compassion, insatiable curiosity, and happiness. What were they? What could they mean? Most importantly, why did they happen now?

"Is everyone alright?" his dad's voice called out. A variety of replies answered in responses but they were all okay.

Shaking his head, Ichigo pushed himself back up onto his feet. He wobbled a little bit but thanks to the chair beside him he was able to keep himself up. Looking around he tried to find the source of the green flash of light.

At first, he didn't see anything besides the confused faces of everyone around him but then saw something he hoped he would never see happen.

"Dad! Chiyoko's stuff is gone!"

0/0

"You want to do what now?" Chiyoko yelled out in confusion.

"I want to go back into your inner world and see if anything has changed. It's been over a year since you first came here, there has bound to be changes." He held up the nasty organic looking helmet and smiled at her that same creepy smile when he was interest in something.

Shuddering at both the smile and the thought of putting that _thing_ on again, she took a few steps backwards. There was no way she was ever letting him put that thing on her ever again. It was bad the first time and will be even worse the second time. If they could make it look like anything else then she might do it but as it is, no freaking way!

On top of that her soul chamber _had_ changed but she didn't want him to know that. Unfortunately, he was keeping her hidden from the Soul Society and letting her use his training grounds. Although, she was also letting him study her spirit energy in return for doing so and had even let him run a few tests on her body, which kept proving inconclusive or so he says.

Glaring at the shop owner, she spoke with weariness, "And just what are you looking for that you couldn't determine with my spirit energy and blood?"

He stared at her for a long moment before finally realizing that she wouldn't backdown this time. She really didn't want him in her soul again. It always felt someone was probing her insides while she had to sit there and take it.

"I was going to see if I can figure out just why it was that you lost your memories and are regaining them the way you are. I can count on one hand how many people have been able to unlock memories of their past life, let alone more than one." He gave the nasty helmet a little shake, "And you are the only one I know of, just think of all the advances I could make just by studying your soul!"

"No! You've already studies my blood and Reishi, you don't need any more than that! You're lucky I even did that." The grin on Urahara's face dropped ever so slightly but she didn't care. The bastard had already studied her in almost every way that involved her spirit body, there was no way she was letting him inside her again.

"Then I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave my property." Utter seriousness glimmered in his eyes as he dropped the organic helmet. He may be a nice man but if he wasn't going to get anything out of letting the Vasto Lorde stay at his home then she could leave. It didn't even matter to him that this was actually Isshin's first born daughter or that she would be at risk of being purified by the Soul Society. If anything, it would be interest to see how her spiritual energy changes. To him, science was the key to figuring out the ways of the spiritual world and if this girl wasn't going to let him figure it out through her then she was useless to him. For now, at least.

All Chiyoko could do was stare at the man. This was something that she had been waiting on when she finally denied the shopkeeper something and while she didn't expect it to happen the first time she did so, she knew it would happen eventually.

Flexing her clawed fingers, she let lose a fraction of her spiritual pressure. Kisuke frowned some with a small bead of sweat running down his brow but didn't show any other reaction to her minor release of power.

Turning on the balls of her feet, she stormed over to her corner of the training ground to gather her things. Not thinking twice about it, she opened her shadow storage and started tossing her things within it. It didn't take her no more than two minutes to put it all away with the last being the Gigai that she had stolen from the shop keepers stash without his knowing. If she ever figured out how to be human again, she'd need a body and this was as close as she was going to get.

Using a quick Sonido, she made her way upstairs right in front of the door.

"Chi-nee-Chan!" a young voice called out that made her pause.

Turning she felt her eyes fall upon little Ururu, who was dressed in her lavender and dark purple poka-dot themed pajama's. Her hair was still in its constant pigtail fashion with the single bang crawling over her nose and forehead. There was sadness in the child's eyes and what looked like the formation of tears.

Instantly, Chiyoko felt her anger weaken a touch. This was one thing she would lose if she left the shop and she knew that she couldn't take the child with her, she was a hollow after all and Kisuke had guardianship of the child.

Walking over the girl, she knelt down until she was just a little bit shorter than the preteen. Smile as good of a smile as she could, she pulled the girl into a hug. Most would probably freak out that a Vasto Lorde was hugging a young girl but Ururu was no such girl. She gave one even stronger than she got and buried her head into the wolf's shoulder.

As the child sniffled into her shoulder, Chiyoko gentle stroked her fingers through her hair, although she made sure her claws were retracted before doing so. Looking beyond them, she could see Kisuke's determined face, Yoruichi glaring at Kisuke, Tessai was crying ever so slightly, and Jinta looked torn between wanting to glare at her and tease Ururu for getting upset over a hollow of all things.

When Ururu finally pulled back and whipped the tears from her eyes, Chiyoko turned her attention fully upon the young girl. In her time here, Ururu had become something of a little sister or daughter to her and it hurt to leave her here but she had no choice. For now, she would remain here and when she finally figured out how to return to a human, then she would come and get her.

"Don't go Nee-Chan! Please!" the girl's voice was thick with emotion and Chiyoko hated herself for the pain she was unintentionally inflicting on the girl simply because she didn't want Urahara to invade her soul once more.

"Don't worry little puddle, I won't be gone forever. Just promise me that you'll be good for Mr. Tessai and Urahara and Ms. Yoruichi, alright?" even though she could tell that Ururu didn't want to, she still nodded to her. Getting an idea, she held her hands out and concentrated on the shadows around her, forcing them to come to her.

It was rather disconcerting and amazing to watch as the darkness formed into a blob of shadow between her palms. Concentrating on an image inside her mind, she slowly spread her arms apart and watched as the shadows condensed and reformed. Everyone watched in awe as a pitch-black dagger slowly but surely formed between her palms.

Grasping it by the handle she called upon even more and made a matching sheath with a clip on one side before slipping the dark blade inside of it. Without a second thought, she handed it out to the small girl. Ururu didn't even think twice before grasping it to her chest and then slipped it on the waist band of her pajamas.

Smiling once more she sent a silent warning to Kisuke before standing again and walking outside into the early morning showers.

The last glimpse she got of the inside of Urahara's Shoten was of Ururu running past everyone and down the hallway towards her bedroom.

A ripple of sadness rolled through her but she forced herself to fight through it. Whether she liked it or not, this had to happen eventually. Besides she had long since gotten the device she needed to advance her powers and evolution. Unfortunately, she would have to return to that stupid basement to become whatever an arrancar was but she still had to master her Cero and high-speed regeneration.

With rain droplets falling upon her body, Chiyoko raised her hand before ripping a hole in reality. Strangely enough, the second she did this she felt an odd spiritual pressure from deep within the void of Garganta. Looking back, she took note that neither Tessai or Kisuke seemed to notice. Strange.

Forcing herself to stand strong, she walked into the dark void.

0/0

The second Chiyoko disappeared within the Garganta, Kisuke was cursing himself. Not only had he lost a very important research experiment but he also lost Isshin's daughter. Oh kami, that man is so going to kill him when he finds out about this! Why, oh why, couldn't he have keeps his patients for just once in his afterlife!?

0\0

Feeling the glass sand crunch beneath her skintight armored feet Chiyoko looked out upon the desert of Hueco Mundo. The first thing that registered to her was that it was not the darkness of night-time that always fell upon these lands. Instead there was a burning ball of yellow that seemed to scorch the desert sands and all those that inhabited.

"what the heck happened here?" her voice called out but the shifting sands of the desert offered her no answers.

Squinting her eyes, she tried to force herself from looking at the burning ball of fire that had taken the place of the beautiful moon in the sky. For whatever reason, she could feel some of her energy leave her and her body weaken ever so slightly. A low snarl escaped her lips and she knew that for whatever reason, something had changed in the land of Hueco Mundo. And there was no way it was good.

Channeling some spiritual energy under the soles of her feet, she felt herself rise just a few millimeters off the glassy sand surface beneath her. Taking in a deep breath she tried to locate anything that smelt different in the world around her. But all she smelt was the normal smell of death and greed. There was no way this was good at all.

Tensing her legs, she used a quick Sonido and flickered out of her previous location with nothing but a light breeze and the sound of static.

Racing over the desert sands, Chiyoko analyzed everything and anything that she could find that was remotely important. Even at the extremely speeds she was traveling, she could hear everything in the world around her.

The first thing that did strike her as odd was the strange hammering sound that had been there the first time she had reached the vast desert was no longer there. That told her only two things. Either whatever was being build was finished or the crew that was building it had been killed. She was pointing more toward the former. The thing that confused her was that in all her years here, she had never been able to find the dang thing.

Coming to a stop before the old cave that she had found when she first appeared in the upper levels of Hueco Mundo, Chiyoko calmly stepped inside her desert home. She didn't get far though.

With a quick leap to the right, she just barely avoided a bright green lance before it embedded itself deep into the cavern floor.

Snarling in distaste, she took her eyes off of the energy weapon and let them settle into the shadows. It took only two seconds for her eyes to adjust to the darkness trapped in the back of the cave but what she found was not something she all out expected.

The first thing she took note of was the one that attacked her. Their lower body seemed to be that of a horse, with white armor around its torso and a white mask with a red marking that traveled over what she assumed was where their nose was supposed to be and down towards the bottom of its jaw. Instead of hands or claws, the hollow before her had what looked like hooves but she was sure that if the hollow hit her then they would hurt something awful. What really shocked her was the bright teal colored hair that seemed to flow from the back of the hollow's mask. It was something she had never seen before.

What actually worried her though was the level of Spiritual power that she could instinctually feel running though the hollows body. It was on par with her own, if maybe a little lower. She didn't know who would win in a fight between them but she was sure it would a close battle at her current power level. If she had all of her memories she was sure she would be able to squash the fellow Vasto Lorde into the cavern floor but she didn't so there was no point in starting a fight. Besides she had more important things to do.

"What do you think you are doing in my home?!" she snarled out at the centaur.

To her surprise the hollow tilted its head to the side in a questioning manor.

"My apologies, I did not know that this cave was already taken. We will leave right away." A calm female voice spoke from behind the centaur's mask. She turned her upper half towards the back of the cave and gave a 'come on' gesture with her hoof.

Shuffling echoed from the far back of the cavern, which only made Chiyoko tense. How she hadn't seen or sensed the others in the back, she had no idea. Before long a pair of Adjuchas stepped out of the darkness and she wasn't quite sure if she should laugh or look at them in sympathy.

The closest hollow looked like a Tiki. It's had large yellow eyes with bright red designs that followed the indentations of its eyes and an equally red large nose. Its body was what looked like a yellow baggy jumpsuit with black poka dots scattered across the surface. Even with his humanoid form, she could tell that he wasn't a Vasto Lorde and neither was the other one. The other one also had a human like shape with what looked like armor plating around his chest, forearms, and lower legs. The rest of him was covered in what appeared to be a dull dark purple skin and a white cloth loincloth while his mask somewhat resembled an insect with mandibles and horns resting upon his mask. Although she did have to wonder about the purple cloth that covered his right eye.

"What going on Nel-sama? Is this little hollow making us move, dontcha-know?" the large Tiki asked.

The centaur only nodded before she started making her way towards the mouth of the cave. The other two looked rather reluctant to leave without a fight but in the end, they followed after their leader.

As the group left, Chiyoko felt her body slowly relax. She didn't say she wanted them to leave, she just wanted to know why they were in her cave. But she guessed that this was probably for the best. It wouldn't be a good idea for her to be around other hollows for long, especially when she hated the species with almost her entire being.

Looking around her old desert home, she had to wonder just what those three had done to her cave. Unlike her mountain home down in Menos Forest, she didn't bother to really expand this one all that much. Sure, she dug down a little bit so she had enough room to park her large butt inside and sleep without being noticed but that was about it. Now with her small size the cave was rather large to her. Heck if she could stand on her own shoulders it would probably take at least four of her just to reach the ceiling.

Sighing to herself she traveled deeper into the cave in search of a place to escape the blaring rays of the unnatural sunlight that covered Hueco Mundo. Darkness had been her friend in all her previous lives and that had only been enhanced with her evolution into a Adjuchas class Hollow.

Sitting down in the far back, Chiyoko just hoped that now that she wasn't being monitored by Kisuke Urahara she would finally be able to Master the rest of her powers. It really was stupid that he wanted her to evolve as much as she could and yet wouldn't let her use her powers to do so. For a scientist, he was really idiotic at times.

0\0

Panting with her claws digging into her knees, Chiyoko strained herself to heal the self-inflicted wounds that were scattered across her body. Each wound pulsed with a flare of pain as dark red blood seeped down her body.

Forcing her spirit energy to flow through her body from her spent core she went one by one, sealing up the cuts and ending the blood flow. It probably wasn't a good idea to stress her core so much when it was near the end but she had already made these cuts before she realized that she was nearly out of energy.

Sealing up the last large gash that she had made across her abdomen, she forced herself to ignore the sheen of sweat that had gathered all over her body, as well as the dark red blood. She felt gross because of the joined bodily fluids that she was matted in but unfortunately, there wasn't any water source un Hueco mundo that she could use to clean herself with.

Grumbling, Chiyoko forced herself upright before channeling enough spirit energy to keep her lifted off the sharps terrain of glass of the Desert before making her way back home.

If there was one this she utterly despised about her evolutions it was that she had to constantly remaster her powers again and again. She honestly couldn't wait until she becomes an Arrancar so she could finish them for the last time and be done with it. Of course, there was a few benefits to have to do so as well, it wasn't all tedious annoyance. With each evolution she went through, her spirit energy condensed even more than it previously had been. This meant that not only would her attacks be more powerful but it would require even less than before. Also, the more advanced in the skill she became, the faster it formed and the more control she gained over her spirit energy as a whole.

One of the good things about becoming a Vasto Lorde was that she no longer had to devour other hollows to regain her Spirit energy, which was fine by her, but if she wanted to gain it faster she could. The only issue with that option was that she was that even an Adjuchas wouldn't really filler her up that much and she didn't feel like searching for any of the extremely small population of Vasto Lorde that were scattered across Hueco Mundo.

Reaching the mouth of her desert home, she stopped just close enough the entrance that she could feel the shadows no less than two feet from her. Smiling a wolfish smile, she drew upon the darkness before her and controlled to fulfil desires. This was something that she absolutely loved about her abilities with shadows. Seeing as it's an ability directly linked with her soul she actually didn't use any spiritual energy to use it. If she was remembering correctly from the enraged moment as Persia Jackson when she finally merged with her shadow abilities, when this happened it didn't just merge with her body but her soul as well. She didn't know why it didn't happen to water as well since she had mastered that too but she really didn't care for those powers anyway.

Licking her silver teeth, she drew the darkness inside of her mouth and down into her stomach to absorb some of the power lurking within it. This was actually a trick she figured out when she was down in Urahara's basement with nothing to do but play with her powers. If someone came near her home they would see dark tendrils flowing through the air and into her open mouth as if she was eating it. Although the perverts would probably think something else entirely.

Knowing that nothing was going to bother her, Chiyoko stood there for what felt like hours as more and more of the raw power hidden deep within the shadows filled her depleted core. By the time she devoured all the power inside her cave her core wasn't even a quarter of the way full but it was enough that if she was attacked then she'd be able to do something about it.

Cutting her connection with the shadows, she shut her maw with a lite snapping sound as her silver teeth banged against one another. If anyone was around they would have winced at the harsh sound of metal grinding against metal.

Making her way into the back of the cave, she sunk down onto her rump before easily drawing herself into her soul chambers. The only reason why she had waited until now was because the transition was easier if she had some energy to use while doing so.

Closing her eyes, she drifted into a vast space of utter darkness. Like usually she just brushed right past this area and sunk even deeper until she felt her feet, or what she perceived as her feet, dropped a few inches onto the floor of her soul chambers.

Looking around, the only real difference from before was that there were even more images of abuse that Genma Saotome had inflicted upon her and the few sexual encounters she was forced to do with her brother under the vicious eyes of the panda man.

Shuddering, Chiyoko felt revulsion well up inside her. It wasn't that Ranma hadn't been a good-looking boy but he had been her own brother. She was pretty sure that she wouldn't ever cross that incest boundary, no matter how handsome they were. As she regained more of these memories however, she often found herself wondering why it was that Genma was so against her being a girl, then force her to perform acts that he said were only for a girl to do to a boy. The more she remembered about the idiot, the more she realized that he was extremely hypocritical.

He'd say boys don't cry and then the second he became hungry he would become a weeping sack of flesh. Then there was the whole honor system that he liked to say rules a martial artists life but then the second it doesn't suite his needs, he would pretend it didn't exist or come up with an excuse for his actions. Ranma seemed to believe it but She didn't think she ever did. From what she understood, when she was Haruka she had the entirety of her memories from all of her current past lives. So, she had around 115 years just going into that life and even more coming out of it, or so she hoped. Now she was regaining all that, even if it was painful for her, especially because she wasn't gaining any happy moments with them at all. If it wasn't for her determination to unlock those memories by becoming an Arrancar, she was pretty sure she would have been devoured by the souls of those she had eaten before she got rid of them or given up and have the Shinigami kill her when they first met.

Turning her eyes from the scene of Genma pushing Ranma into a pit full of starved cats, Chiyoko looked around the room to see what else was different. Flashes of bright green writing caught her eye near the top of the ceiling within the dark side.

Using her own mental power, she floated herself up to a point where she could easily read just what it was saying.

 _ **Life of Darkness (78% complete)**_

Blinking in astonishment, the young hollow lost her concentration and dropped to the floor with a light thump. She didn't even notice the light sting of pain from the harsh landing as her mind went over just what that could mean.

The Obvious answer was that she was three quarters of the way finished with her darker memories and she honestly couldn't be happier about that. Being fourteen years old, technically, and only having all these horrible memories and the very few good ones she had managed to create when she spent time with Ururu just weren't enough to push back all of the darkness. It was probably why she had her moments of being sociopathic or being a gentle. Kind of like Bi-polar disorder but much, much worse.

Turning her head around she looked at the top of the white side, completely ignoring the fact that she was standing right next to the statue of her current self. If anyone had seen it they would probably think one of them were twins. Anyway, on the other side there was a message just like in the darkness.

 _ **Life of Light (Complete 0%)**_

Figures as much. Guess those small amounts of happy moments that were scarcely scattered across the light side just weren't enough to even equate to a percent. Which really didn't surprise her all that much. There were only three or four pictures in total on this side, she had to have much more locked away.

Even though she was making progress Chiyoko really wished that this entire experience would just hurry up and finish. With the Gigai that she stole from Kisuke she just wanted to evolve in to an arrancar and hopefully return to some semblance of life. She knew it was going to be hard, much harder than her life currently was, simply because she knew next to nothing about the life she had before becoming a hollow. All she had known was that her name was Chiyoko.

Sometimes she wondered if her family was still looking for her or if they would even know who she was if she ever was able to return. It was frightening to the young hollow to even imagine being rejected by her human family but that was her current end goal. Gain power, become human again, and return home. Just thinking that they might be scared of her or anything else almost made her want to not reach the point but she had to. She _had_ to.

Feeling desperation starting to overrule her, she forced herself out of her soul chamber and into the dark void around it. Almost instantly all of her emotions dissipated, as if the darkness around her devoured them in an attempt to fill a void that could never be filled. This was a little trick she had learned in the last year when Kisuke kept pushing her irritation to the max with all his poking, prodding, and tests. Especially when he examined her between her legs. That was another difference she had learned about herself. Apparently, hollows aren't supposed to have genitals and yet, she did. Then again from her memories she had never been normal, so this was just another one to add to the list.

Once she calmed back down, Chiyoko let herself drift from the dark void and into the waking world.

Blinking just once, she stood from her sitting position, not even feeling the numbness in her legs from being in one position for such a long time. Taking a deep breath, she let herself revile in the shadows that covered her entire body. It wasn't something of substance yet but a force of nature. For where there is light, there is darkness.

Hopefully one day she would find a way to find a balance between the two and exist as something in-between.

0\0

Sighing to herself Chiyoko made her way through the desert of Hueco Mundo. Around her was what looked like a squad of Adjuchas class Hollows but she didn't let them bother her, she could kill them easily.

Apparently, word of her had finally reached the _king_ of Hueco Mundo, and she says king with utter disbelieve. She had known that there was a Vasto Lorde that claimed to be a God but she didn't think that a lowly Vasto Lorde could take on the title of God. She had heard tales of a God like being that hid in a secret dimension within the Soul Society but that was neither here nor there.

"Move faster, Lord Barragan doesn't like waiting!" a sharp claw of some sort poked her in the back to try and make her speed up. It was probably supposed to dig into her back and possibly wound her but her instant regeneration was too fast for the hollow to even be able to leave a mark for a second.

Chiyoko _really_ didn't want to see this guy but at the same time she wondered how she stacked up against another Vasto Lorde, especially one that was much older than herself. She had heard that he had been ruling Hueco Mundo for around a thousand years, so he had to be crazy old by now.

Not that she was worried though. The only reason Barragan had even found her was because she had accidentally sent out a massive pulse of spiritual energy when she mastered her Instant Regeneration. So, it was pure luck, if anything, that she gets to see the guy. Hopefully the guy isn't anything like the Greek Gods, they were all full of themselves.

Off in the distance, she could just barely make out what looked like an ancient ruin of some sort. There was about six or so still standing pillars resting upon what looked like a shrine that was a good twenty feet up in the air.

Whistling to herself, she had to admit that if the moon was still out it would have been an impressive image. Now it was just like the false sun was trying to burn it from existence.

Rather slowly then she would come to expect, the group made their way up toward the top. There was a slight splattering of hollows scattered across the area but to her they didn't matter at all. No, the only one that was, even if it's just in his own mind, was Barragan the 'king' of Hueco Mundo.

Standing tall before his own thrown was what looked like the skeleton of a Viking king. He was draped in what looked like a fur cloak but it was a mix of purple and black. Resting upon the hollows skull was a three-pronged crown made of what she assumed was gold. He even had a necklace, or maybe a cape clasp, around his neck and it was gold like his crown.

Quirking an unseen eyebrow at the humanoid hollow, Chiyoko wondered if this guy was even right in the head. With her luck, probably not.

Neither one of them bothered with words. Instead they measured each other on the power they held within themselves.

The air around the pair seemed to thicken and press down upon all that was around them. Small webs of cracks fluttered across the stone surface and the hollows that surrounded them were struggling to even stay on their feet.

Unknowingly, a manic grin spread across her muzzle and she wasn't the only one. Barragan was grinning just as much as her. For him, it had been such a long time since he had come across another hollow that even came close to matching him for power, let alone exceeding him if only by a small percentage.

A small dark chuckled came from the Hollow king before exploding into a gut busting howl.

"Marvelous, child, simple marvelous." His aged rough voice filled the air around them. Sitting down upon his ancient throne the skeleton king pulled his Spirit Energy back within his body.

Feeling the pressure lift from the air, Chiyoko quickly copied the old hollow and pulled her own power back within herself. Internally, she was more than a little confused. Wasn't she supposed to be here for the _King_ to try and kill her before absorbing her power? This is just getting to weird for her.

Turning her attention back to the being resting upon the thrown, she quirked a nonexistent eyebrow. Making sure to keep her voice even and simply neutral, she voiced her thoughts.

"And what is so marvelous, _Barragan?"_

Some of the hollows around them growled at her because of her lack of respect for their leader but she _really_ didn't care. Besides, they were essentially on the same evolutionary plain, so it really didn't matter to her what lesser hollows thought of her.

"Simple, child. Never in my entire reign as king of Hueco Mundo, has there been a single Hollow that has matched me in power." She could practically _feel_ the envy of those that surrounded her; it must really stick in their craw that she was simple that much better than them, "and to think that you've only been amongst the Hollows for half a decade. Simple extraordinary."

"WHAT!"

"IT IS NOT POSSIBLE, MILORD!"

"THE BITCH LIES! SHE MUST DIE!"

The words and accusations flew through the air around her, but it didn't matter. The fact is that she was what she was and it didn't _matter_ what they thought of her.

" _ **SILENCE!"**_

Instantly, the Adjuchas voices dropped from the world around them and Chiyoko had to admit, the man sure knew how to quiet a crowd.

Feeling his eyes turn back upon her form, she kept herself still has his eyes roamed over her form. If it wasn't for the fact that she knew he was measuring her reactions to his subordinates' words and not leering at her body, she would have glared at him.

"Yes, ever since Grandfisher devoured you in the human world, I have had my minions watching you. You have grown, slaughtered many of our brethren, made contact with _Shinigami_ , and evolved with an almost unnatural determination." He practically spat the words from his mouth, making her feel he didn't like the Shinigami too much.

To her, she instantly memorized the name of the hollow that forced her into this life. Ice cold fury burned through her veins, forcing her to lock her feelings within her body to keep herself from storming off to tear the lower life form from existence. There is always later, she _would_ have her revenge upon the creature that ripped her from her life and forced her to forget everything about herself.

To Barragan, he watched as a dark light flickered across the young Vasta Lorde's eyes and could barely suppress the shiver of dread that filtered its way up his spine. Whether he knew it or not, forgoing to tell the female hollow before him that he also had a role in her death as a human had just saved him from an immediate death. Instead he will die much later by a much more powerful being then the one currently standing within his throne room.

With a voice as even as flat and cold as a tundra, Chiyoko asked the one question that stood above all else.

"And what do you want of me, Barragan?" it was said like a question but all of them knew it was much less than that.

A glimmer of greed flickered upon the ancient Viking's skeletal face.

"I want you to become an Arrancar."

0\0

Standing within a pure white chamber, Chiyoko let her eyes drift across the group of hollows…no arrancar and one Shinigami that surrounded her. Each one of them looked so human like but there was still something a bit monstrous about them. Whether it was the small fractions of their hollow masks still attached to them or their violent and indifferent personalities, she simple didn't know. Of course, she knew that regular humans can be just as bad as what she could feel these arrancars could be, there was just something a bit more natural about it coming from these beings.

One by One, her eyes meet up with each of them.

Coyote looked both bored and intrigued. Without her knowledge, each of them had been briefed by what happened when she was hollowfied when she was nine and her subsequent loss of memory but they had also been told of her regaining of said memory of her past life during her evolutions. How they knew this, she wouldn't find out unless one of them told her but that wasn't likely to happen too soon. So, to him, she was the possible key to figuring out who he had been before he had naturally turned into an arrancar.

Barragan on the other hand, looked like he had just gotten a second lease on life. No longer did he look like the Skeleton of a Viking King but an actual king with a crown made of bones that had once been a part of his mask. Yes, he did look like he was still in his mid to late fifties but from the power that was still rolling of him like a second skin, you would never have believed it.

Then there was Nelliel, or Nel as she preferred to be called. The very moment her eyes landed upon her teal colored hair, Chiyoko recognized her. There was simply no way of denying the fact that this arrancar had once been the polite centaur shaped Vasta lorde that she had found within her cave when she first returned to the glass desert. A sliver of quilt rushed through the young hollow but at the same time a sense of pride also came upon her. Yes, she had kicked the female from her home but she also became much stronger and from what looks like, much happier as well. A small smile passed between the two but none of the men around them noticed.

Feeling a dull gaze upon her, she let her eyes drift over to the impassive and almost empty man standing to the right of Nel. Ulquiorra Cifer…. is cold, efficient, and an utter bore. In the last months that she had been within the halls of Las Noches, she had not gotten a single word out of the slender man. He only seemed to speak when he is ordering someone around, calling another hollow/human/arrancar/Shinigami trash, or reporting to Sosuke Aizen. In response, she had made it one of her goals to get the silent man to actually speak. Sometimes she found it hard to believe that he was actually the 4th strongest Espada.

Nnoitra Gilga was by far the most psychotic of the bunch. If it wasn't for that demented grin, his hunger for chopping others into pieces, or just his hunger to keep battling even when he's a literal second from death then she didn't think he would be such a bad guy. Unfortunately, for him, he did have all such things and made _her_ want to kill him at drop of a hat to simple save all beings from his type of madness; not that she didn't already want to for his sexist ways or the fact that he had already threatened to force himself upon her the moment he had the chance. Thankfully, he didn't know that she actually did have female parts already. Truth be told, she kind of hope he tried so she could take the immense please of cutting his dick off before shoving it right down his fucking throat.

Feeling her body start to shake, Chiyoko forced herself to calm down before she committed a serious crime against Aizen's law. Once she was calm enough, she switched her gaze to the next one in line.

The first thing that ever came to her mind upon seeing Grimmjow, was a memory of smashing a panther hollow's face into the sharp sands of Hueco Mundo. Whether it was his name that made her make that connection or the fact that he looked at her with an unmeasurable level of rage, she didn't know. But it was fun to smirk at the tall blunette and watch as he ground his teeth into dust in an effort not to attack. Of course, she knew that the second he had a chance, the sixth Espada _was_ going to attack her. She just had to wait a little bit until she was all healed up from her upcoming transformation. Either way, it should be fun…. For her at least.

Next to him was a rather tall African man that was dressed in what she assumed was classical mandarin attire but in pure white coloring, just like all the others. Around his neck was a jagged tooth like necklace and he had yellow eyes. From what she had heard of the man in the last 31 days was that he was a hypocritical piece of crap. He goes on for hours about how the Shinigami attack them because they believe hollows are evil but then go on about how it's okay to eat human souls. He was another one that she wouldn't mind killing once she has a chance.

For some reason, she had a feeling that if she stayed around these people for too long, she was going to end up cutting their numbers by half and that was before the war with the Shinigami starts in a half a year. Call her arrogant but she had a feeling that she was going to enjoy shoving her blade through their chests when this was over.

Shivering in pleasure at the thought, she moved onto the last three Espada.

The brains of the group, or at least the technological brain of it, was Szayelaporro Granz. He had pink hair and a cool amber colored gaze. Unfortunately, he also had a cocky smirk plastered across his lips that was already starting to irritate her. If it wasn't for the fact that he also held all the information that Aizen had collected about hollows, as well as the spiritual tech that was created in Hueco mundo, then she wouldn't even bother with the man. Oh, how she couldn't wait to regain her true intellect and smash this man like a bug.

Aaroniero was by far the calmest one of the group past the 4th but he was also the most cunning. She had only gotten a short glimpse of the man's powers but they were powerful, especially if you consider the fact that he was the only Gillion class Menos Grande. To be able to possess another being, use its powers as your own, and even access its memories during that period was a truly horrifying ability. If he had evolved even once more she was sure that he'd be at least as strong as the 6th Espada and if he managed to become a Vasto lorde then she knew he'd be in the top three. However, he thankfully wasn't and she would do her dandiest to make sure he _never_ gets access to her body and mind.

And finally, there was…. Yammy the Zero Espada. Technically speaking he was the strongest of all the others but only when he was in his released form. When he wasn't however, he was the weakest of the group. Rather funny when he was Adjuchas and the 9th was a gillion. To her there was only one way to describe the man. He was a…. jock. An utterly stereotypical jock. Nothing but violence, sex, and proving his superiority to others wrapped up into one bulging muscly package. Sure, he could snap her like a twig by normal standards but she was by far from normal. She probably had more strength in her little claw then he has in his entire body when in his released form. And she hadn't even become an arrancar yet. That was just sad.

But to her, none of these people/beings/creatures held any true interest for her. No that went to one man. Sosuke Aizen, secret traitor of the Seretei and captain of the 5th court guard squad. He was also the man that would give her a way to take one more step towards being human once more.

With the Hogyoku, unknown to all of them incomplete, could force her to gain her arrancar form. All Aizen asked is that she goes into hiding within the human world and monitor a human boy of around fifteen named Ichigo Kurosaki while if possible, infiltrating his group of friends. Why he was so fascinated by this boy, she didn't know but it's not like it would be too hard. Although, how he plans on her getting into the human world without being hunted by Shinigami, she hadn't the froggiest.

"Are you ready to ascend, child?" his voice was smooth, almost seductive, but also held an undetectable wave of contempt and greed. She almost wanted to snort at his idea of ascension. This was an evolution to the next level, to open new pathways, before leading to true ascension. Not that she was going to tell him that or let him know that she knew the truth. If this was a true ascension, he wouldn't be using it on them but upon himself. There must be something that he's missing before risking it on his own existence.

Taking a slow and steady breath to sooth her nerves, she nodded just once before fixing her eyes once more on the brightly glowing purple rock that just screamed power to her enhanced senses.

Feeling a flex of Reishi from Aizen, she watched as a glass panel rose up into the air between herself and the key to her dreams. Time seemed to stop for a moment as the Hogyoku started to pulse with a brighter and more vibrant flash of purple light. And then beam of pure purple Reishi shot from the pedestal, striking her in the chest.

Nothing happened right away, making her look down at the beam as it struck the very center of her being.

Then She felt it.

 _Pain!_

Nothing but utter pain as the force of spiritual sentience broke through her armor. Almost instantly it sunk into the void of darkness that hid her soul-chamber but it didn't stop there. It filled the void to the brink before searching even deeper within her very existence. The second it reached her inner sanctum, she tried to force the energy away from her, but it was like trying to stop an elephant with a piece of string.

Feeling sweat starting to form upon her brow, Chiyoko tried her hardest to keep it away but she simply was not _strong enough._ It dug its way around her soul-chamber before gripping it in a harsh hold. Then for one moment, she thought it was finally over but she was wrong, oh was she wrong.

With a soul wrenching tug, she felt her inner world being ripped from the depths of her soul and brought forth to the very forefront. A scream exploded from her lips but she didn't hear it or even know it was happening; those surrounding her were starting to wonder what was happening that could be causing such a violent reaction. Unnoticed to any of them, Aizen was smirking like he just handed the rank of captain commander with a massive power boost.

Tears fell down upon her face as her inner world expanded to the edges of her void. It hurt almost as badly as when it was brought up but not quite. If anything, she felt stretched thin, almost as if her power had a block on it before that was keeping it rather limited but now it was free to stretch to its limits.

Meanwhile, as her mind tried to work its way through the pain, the Sentient energy worked its way throughout her inner world, searching for the items that would bring its new child to the start of its new potential.

It followed the bonds of energy that were etched into her soul, going beyond her body, beyond Hueco Mundo, and into the human world. Along the way, neither the energy nor the Hogyoku knew it but the power had been changed from that of a bright royal purple to that of a dark green of the forest by this point. Moving through the human realm, the Hogyoku searched for the items that resonated the same energy signature and age as its current user; although it could sense multiple different versions of said items spread out across the world.

Without contemplating the consequences; the Hogyoku snatched up the bracelet, the necklace, and a single blade from the memorial room of the Kurosaki family.

Once its quest was complete, the Hogyoku's power released its hold upon the new arrancar before sinking back into its sphere, happy that another's inner most desires had been made true.


	4. Chapter 4

Groaning in pain, Chiyoko forced herself into something that resembled wakefulness. Her head was killing her, and what was worse was that her skin was shivering against cool hard stone floor that she was resting upon.

 _Wait… cold skin?_

Without time for a second thought, she jerked upward into a sitting position, only gasping for breath when she reached the top.

The first thing she noticed from her sudden stop, was the feeling of a light tug on her chest. Looking downward, Chiyoko's eyes near popped out of her head at the sight of actual breast resting upon her chest. One would think that the first thing that she'd notice is that he skin was no longer pitch black or armored but a pale snow-white color; instead, she took note of the light pink areola that surrounded an equaling pink nipple on each of her breasts. They were flesh…. they were real…. they weren't an armored torso with the design of breast but no actual ones in existence…. but actual breast!

With a grin spreading upon her lips, she paid no attention to the other spiritual beings around her, as she moved her right-hand up to gentle cup her feminine chest. Before she even reached halfway, her arm froze and her eyes widened.

There, instead of a flesh and bone arm, was a pitch-black metal arm with extended claws, silver spikes, and a black glove with a glowing purple gem resting in the middle of with runes and other glyphs surrounding it in a circle.

Gulping, she lifted her other arm to mirror the other one, and noted that there was no longer the swirl like design in pure black running from the tips of her fingers up to her shoulder blade. Instead, she had pure white skin, similar to that of the rest of her body.

She was pulled out of her inspection by the snort of laughter from one of the men around her. Whipping her head in the direction of the sound, she wasn't to surprised to find it was Nnoitra.

"The _tranny bitch_ looked deadlier as a hollow" venom practically dripped from his tongue as he glared down at her, "To think I was worried that the little freak was actually worth something."

Before she could even think, let alone get her mind out of the fogginess that her evolution had caused, Nnoitra pushed his way out of the room, slamming the door on his way out. Whispers fluttered through the remaining Espada but none were as vocal as the 5th.

Finally taking notice of her apparent state and lack of clothing, Chiyoko blushed a bright red before moving her hands to drape across her chest and between her legs. With her head bowed down in embarrassment, she never noticed the sound of soft feet pattering across the room nor the sound of clothing being ruffled about before it landed softly across her shoulders.

Whipping her head up, Chiyoko's eyes locked onto the same teal colored eyes of Nelliel. Even though the older female was still rather rocky in their interactions, she wasn't rude like some of the others.

"Her, dearie, let's get you covered up." Her voice was warm and mothering to her but internally Chiyoko wondered why all these emotions were coming to her _now_ when they hadn't when she was still a normal, albeit immensely powerful, hollow.

Nodding slowly, Chiyoko slipped the long jacket on to cover up her bare body before sealing up the front. Once she didn't feel as exposed to the group around her, Chiyoko looked around them, just noticing the pile of items and the lone blade that were scattered around her.

Instantly, her eyes locked upon the blade. She knew it rather intimately, from the black edging to the green body of the blade and all the way down to the onyx chain and black hilt. She could even remember when the blade had morphed into its current form upon mastering her shadow powers.

Without an ounce of hesitation, she bent down grasped the warn leather handle, nearly dropping in her shock as the blade shimmered before morphing into pure white dagger with a black hilt. The feeling was definitely odd, as the handle morphed and adjusted itself within her grasp.

Forcing her eyes away from her new weapon, she reaches down and lifts up what looked like a heavily used necklace. Just like with the blade, she didn't hesitate as she dropped it over her head. This time nothing happened besides a light glow of dark Reiatsu upon her left breast and some slight pain. After what happened with her soul-chamber, she didn't think that she'd ever feel something as painful ever again. This was just a tickle.

When the pain finally settles down, she diligently ignored the looks she was getting from the others; all of them probably wondered what happened to make her nearly hiss like she did.

Scooping up the last trinket lazing upon the floor, she nearly yelped when it seamed to utterly vanish before her necklace getting a touch heavier and the feeling of cold metal twirling around her right hand.

And there, right upon her right-hand index finger was a small ring with the image of a Black wolf with white swirls upon its forehead. It blended in rather well with her gloved metal arm. Oddly enough, it reminded her of an inverse of Thalia.

The moment she thought those words, it felt like someone had poured ice water down her back.

 _My name…. My name is…. Chiyoko Kurosaki!_

Small flashes of images swept across her inner eye.

" _Hello? Are you here to visit someone too?" his question seemed the casual but she could hear the grief and self-hatred in his undertones. What could have happened to make this young boy hate himself this much?_

 _Shaking her head, she grabbed her throat and shook head again._

" _Oh, you can't talk, I'm sorry. Umm…can you write?" nodding hesitantly the boy grinned before reaching into his bag and pulled out a sketchbook. He opened it and she caught sight of a name_ _ **Chiyoko Kurosaki**_ _written into the inside cover. The boy flipped through the pages quickly but she could see some of the drawings inside. They were pretty good if she said so herself, she doubted she could ever draw something like that though. Maybe when she becomes a Vasto Lorde she could come here and steal some paining supplies to try?_

That notebook, it had been _hers!_ How had she not seen the obvious connection when she first saw it? Both her own and the girls name in the booklet had been the same, same kanji and everything! Heck I had even died near the same time as that boy said his sister had died, right?

" _Hello, child. Are you here to visit someone dear to you? Sadly, I do not have anyone that is around anymore that I hold dear to my heart that I can remember."_

 _He read her message slowly, trying to make sure he understood what she wrote, before smiling at her sadly._

" _Yeah, I'm visiting my mother and twin sister. They passed a couple years ago, I still miss them though." His voice broke a little at the start before he managed to get it under control. Such like a boy to think they have to hide the hurt they feel._

His sister? His _sister!?_ I was his sister! He was… _IS_ my _brother!_

Feeling tears starting to roll down from her eyes as years of pent up frustration at her lack of memories welled up and finally broke through the barrier that she had unconsciously built. She didn't even notice that she had sunken back down to her knees or that the arrancar around her were looking at her with disgust or indifference, only Coyote and Nel looked at her with understanding. One for knowing the feeling of being utterly lost in the world around him while the other knew the feeling of all their inner walls that sheltered her heart from her actions during her time as a hollow were forcefully crushed upon evolving into an arrancar. Neither were right in what they thought the reason was for her breakdown but they were closer than any of the others.

The scene was broken when their leader finally spoke up, "Nel, take our new recruit to the medical wing, Granz will be there shortly to give her a full physical."

Nel's eyes jerked up from the prone form at her feet up to the man that had made her more than a simple hollow. His eyes were cool yet compassionate, in a way that she could never understand and always got her to listen to his orders.

Nodding once, she stooped down and scooped the teenage arrancar into her arms before rushing out of the Resurreccion chamber.

Upon her exit, Aizen turned to his Espada, his eyes losing the compassionate gleam, and his voice turning to cold and commanding.

"You are all to forget about you have seen here today. That Arrancar may be our trump card in the end of this war and I will not have you messing up my plans, especially for pointless prejudice." More than a few of them glared at him but Aizen was not one to be taken lightly, especially by his own soldiers, "I said am I _**understood!**_ "

The air around them all became thick and all of them knew the answer if they wished to survive.

"Yes, sir!"

0/0

Once Nel had her charge placed down upon the single medical bed within the Espada section of the medical wing, she took a step back and let her eyes flutter over the young girl's new form.

Where before the girl was just under five feet with maybe an inch or two to reach it, now she was what looked like a couple inches below even that, maybe even half a foot now. She didn't think she would ever be able to get over the changes that can happen to a hollows body upon evolution.

Anyway, with just a casual glance at the girl and from what she had seen before, she couldn't be no older than sixteen, maybe thirteen at the youngest. She was definitely petite in size, so that dagger she has would definitely help her in a fight much more than a katana or any other type of long sword. Then there was just her physical characteristics that threw all of them for a loop.

For starters, instead of a mask fragment, she had kept the silver band and red gem that had rested upon her forehead. It wasn't a bad thing, most definitely easier to deal with if one had to go on undercover missions in the living world, where it would be taken as jewelry instead of a bone fragment.

Then there was her arm. Where do you even start with something like that? The thing was made completely out of metal, as if she had it replaced when she was alive because of an injury. Not to mention the glove with the purple gem nor the white markings that cover it. It looked pretty but it contrasted extremely with the girl's alabaster color skin, let alone those silver spikes that stick up along the edges or the long spike near the elbow which she _knew_ could be used as a weapon if needed.

Thankfully, after that the girl gets somewhat normal. While she had only barely saw it when the teen had first evolved, it was rather hard to _not_ notice a small set of male genitals resting between the girl's legs. It was odd, especially with her otherwise feminine appearance and breasts, but she was sure she'd know by the end of Granz's medical exam of the new unranked Espada. Hopefully they would have some evidence as to why the girl had what she wasn't obviously supposed to have and would be able to counteract Nnoitra's vile words.

And that was just the weird stuff!

From what she had seen earlier, the younger female's eyes were the usual black instead of white but they should have changed when she evolved! They also had what looked like amber veins running from the corner of her eyes, all the way to her now glowing green irises, as if they were bloodshot.

At least her Hollow markings were somewhat normal…ish? They started at the corner of her eyes and trailed down her face, over her cheeks and off to the sides to head down her neck. All of them were in the same swirl like design, like waves or those ancient tribal tattoos that she used to see in the barbarian days of human life.

Nel had to admit, that altogether, the girl was quite adorable.

Before she could think anymore about her charge, the door flew open, letting in an exasperated and highly annoyed Szayelaporro Granz. He didn't even bother to acknowledge her existence but he never did when she wasn't one of his patients.

For Chiyoko, she wasn't to sure she even wanted to have this 'physical' done by a male, especially one as arrogant as Granz was. That and she didn't remember him ever rambling about anything medical unless it involved cutting into one of his subjects, and that was something she never wanted to happen to her.

"yes yes, just lay down kid and the faster we can get this done, so I can get back to my important work." The pink haired man huffed in annoyance at her before forcefully grabbing her by her shoulder and forcing her onto her back. He then went about pulling her limbs away from her body, so she was spread eagle and utterly exposed.

Flashes of dark memories fluttered to the front of her mind but she had to force them back down with just a small whimper escaping her throat. Kami, this was so embarrassing! What happened to her hardened persona? The ability to withhold her dark memories from washing away anything similar to calm and serenity?

Goosebumps rippled across her pale white skin and if she had any hair upon her body besides her pitch-black hair on her head, then it would already be standing up on end. Keeping her eyes screwed shut tight, she let her mind go as blank as possible, as the Espada slowly but surely examined her body in very extreme detailed. Limbs were stretched out, bent, and measured. Reiatsu was drew from her body, as well as blood, before being ran thorough some sort of machine. And when the Pinkett finally got to examining her…. down there, she bit her lip as she felt herself being spread by some sort of metal clamp like device. Of course, that was only after the man exclaimed in surprise at her hidden genitalia beneath the male ones.

When they were all done, Chiyoko was more than happy to find a pair of underwear, shorts, and a sports bra waiting for her on the small table next to her exam table. Of course, like all Espada uniforms, it was pure white and seemed to actually blend into her skin almost seamlessly.

Making quick work of putting them on, she felt so much better not being near the man in the nude; a majority of the Espada males set her nerves on fire as well, so she wasn't looking forward to any of them seeing her that way ever again if she could help it.

Doing her dandiest to not look at the man that had just seen every inch of her body, Chiyoko turned her eyes upon the only other occupant of the room.

"Um… would it be any trouble if I could get a shower, please?" her voice was soft, even to her own ears, and for a second, she didn't recognize it without the undertones of an animalistic growl.

Nel just stared at her for a second, as if what she had said didn't compute in her mind, before snorting in laughter.

"Sure thing! Follow me and I'll never lead you wrong!" her voice was chipper once more, almost throwing her off because it lacked the mothering tones she had grown used to.

Before she could even hop off the table, the teal haired woman was already out of the medical room and probably in another part of the fort.

"Chee… That woman will never understand that new recruits can't keep up with her, let alone find their way around this fucking place. Heck, how she can do it half the time, ill never figure out." Granz mumbled under his breath but it was still loud enough for her to hear.

Still feeling confused, Chiyoko took up the coat she had been given to wear, only barely catching her dagger that fell from one of its pockets. Not thinking twice about it, using old muscle reflexes, she started twirling the dagger between her fingers as she tried to find her way through this fortress of stone.

0/0

Sitting down upon his bed, Ichigo forced himself to try and not freak out about his sister's memorial items being taken out from under their very noses. It was just to freaking weird!

How does a flash of dark green light lead to her things disappearing? Could it have been like something similar to that dark void that had taken her from them or was it something different? And why now? Why on their fifteenth birthday?

Forcibly combing his fingers through his already messy spiked hair, Ichigo just wished there was something he could _do_ about it!

Slumping forward, with his elbows digging into his knees, he rested his face into his palms. If anyone was in his room they would instantly noticed the small shakes of his body as he silently sobbed.

Memories flashed through his mind, as he was forced to watch his sister be devoured again and again by that empty rip in space.

Why…. _Why_ …. was it always them?

 _^Why must it always be Chiyoko that is taken from us? ^_ the words echoed within his skull, bouncing about like a bouncy ball in a small space.

The cold feeling of metal against his skin was the first thing that jarred him from the endless loop of thought.

Lifting his head, ever so slightly, he stared at the silver bracelet that Ishida had given him. The familiar cross charm dangled upon the small chain, so innocent, yet he could feel a connection to it and not because it was identical to his mothers.

Having something else to focus on, Ichigo wondered why Ishida had given it to him. Was it because the boy knew that he also craved a connection with his mother in any form he could get, just like he knew Ishida craved the same for his own deceased mother? Or was it something else? And why a cross of all things? He didn't remember his mom ever being catholic, so why did she wear the symbol of their church? Why did Ishida?

Gently, ever so gentle, he ran his finger down the front of the cold metal cross and wondered about it as the light flickered off its surface. Whatever it is, its special, he just didn't know how.

Whipping away the evidence of his breakdown away, he forceful pushed those emotions away in attempt to get a handle on the situation. It was then that he finally noticed that at some point someone had brought his gifts up and placed them upon his desk.

How had he not noticed them? It wasn't like he was used to having a sword resting upon the hard wood of his desk?

Slowly, his eyes drifted from the blade to the books to the cat plushy to his bracelet and back again. Reaching out to the first book in the stack, he paused as his eyes landed on the dark swirl design that was on his new hoodie. Unconsciously, his brow furrowed and his fist clenched at his side.

For his sister, his family, he would do whatever it takes to protect them. If that ever meant making a deal with the devil, then so be it. But nothing would harm them again, not when he had the ability to stop it.

Clutching the old tome in a strong grip, he began his decent into a world he would never have believed in unless it hadn't struck him in the face like it already had.

 _^I am going to become strong, just you wait and see Chi-nee-chan. And when I find you, I am going to bring you home to us, even if I have to bath in the blood of others to do it. ^_

Unknown to him, deep within his own spiritual world, a pair of utterly opposite creatures shard a quick but equally vicious grin.

0\0

Like her brother, Chiyoko was also sitting within her new room but her mind was focused on an entirely different matter.

She had a mission that she had to do, in return for the help of evolving once more. But it was to spy on her own brother, how could she even think about doing such a thing? Family does not betray each other, even if they hadn't seen each other in over half a decade. So that belays the question.

How was she going to do this mission and be able to look at herself in the mirror when it was finished?

It just didn't seem possible to her.

And that was a universal truth.

And yet, here she was, making plans to do just that. Hopefully, if she is caught, she will have time to explain her situation before they think the worst of her.

Shaking her head to push away the depressing thoughts, she instead hopped up off her bed and took her first real look at the rooms she had been given.

The room wasn't that large, maybe 3 meters by 4 meters with a small closet, a twin mattress, a plain desk without any draws pushed into the far corner, a full body mirror that rested on the wall, and a window that went from floor to ceiling; letting in lots of false sunlight. And of course, everything was in pure, eye-watering white. That would be the first thing that had to go. If she had to life in this room at any time, then there was no way she was going to stay in such a bright room. It was bad enough that the stupid fake sun was blazing through her window. Unfortunately, none of these idiots had anything that she could use to even cover the dang window, she didn't even have a blanket!

Turning her eyes upon her own reflection, Chiyoko got her first real glance at herself.

The first thing she noticed was that she was short. No not short compared to most men but short in general. She couldn't have been anymore than a meter and a half tall. From the memories she had, she knew that this was fairly average for her, maybe a little on the lower end, but still, it was an inconvenience for when she _needed_ reach during a fight.

The next thing that snagged her attention was her face. Not only was it rather oval shaped with a very soft jaw and cheekbones, but she had a cute button nose. It was her eyes that really mesmerized her though. Growly green eyes with little rivers of amber against a backdrop of utter darkness. There wasn't a smidge of white or any light color in there. And yet, she felt that these eyes were more fitting for her than any other color she has had in any of her past-lifes.

That wasn't even going into the equally dark markings that descended from the corner of her eyes, down her cheeks, and just below her ears and onto the sides of her neck. She didn't have to guess that these were once the shadow markings that she had on her left arm when she had been alive. They definitely gave her a more exotic look. Although how she was going to explain the shift in markings to those in the human world that had known her, she had no idea. And don't get her started on the drama her eyes were going to cause.

She did like her hair though. It was long, reaching the top of her butt, and wavy in the color of pure obsidian. It even matched her eyes to some extent. She would have to get it braided or something because if she had learned anything during her time with the Espada, it was that they didn't fight fair and wouldn't be against pulling the enemies hair to distract them.

Letting her eyes flutter farther down, she let them land upon the automail arm. To her, it was the same as always, with the exception of the spikes being permanently out. Although, they could be used to scare off possible conflicts, and if they didn't then she always had her claws and dagger. She did admit that the drastic difference between her pale skin and the pitch-black arm was rather distracting.

Shaking her head again, she moved on to her necklace.

Going left from right; she had six beads of various design, a glowing silver-blue pendant that looked like a full moon, an engagement ring, a gear, and a locket. And _none_ of them she could remember where she had gotten. Oh, she theorized they were important tokens of affection from her other lives, but she just couldn't remember why or how she had got them.

A sharp stab of pain ripped through her mind as she tried to figure out these things. Clutching her head, she staggered on her feet for a second before the pain quickly passes.

Okay, no more thinking about bonded items.

When the stars finally cleared from her eyes, she forced herself to look in the mirror once more.

Below her neck, she would easily say that her body was petite. Her shoulders were small, as were her hands and feet, and her hips were just barely rounded out. They weren't nonexistent like an average twelve-year-old but she was definitely behind in the developmental areas than most girls her age. Thankfully, her waist was still narrow, so she didn't have to work to hard to keep it that way, and her tummy was flat. If she had to guess, she would probably say she filled an A-cup, if barely. But that also seemed to be the theme with all of her past-selves body maturity.

Peaking from the inside of her bra, she could see the top of a the Flamel marking that she had gotten thanks to the disastrous human transmutation that Allie and Edward had tried when they were ten and twelve respectively.

Thinking back on the pain in her left breast when she put on the necklace, it wasn't hard to figure out that it had appeared when she did that. It only made her happier that only Granz knew that she had it, although she doubted he knew of its meaning, at least for now.

Going the last bit of length, she was both elated and horrified with what she found between her legs. Yes, she knew it was there in her memories of her old lives but secretly she had hoped it wouldn't appear again. It had felt nice to be something of a normal girl for once, not having to deal with the sneers of disgust or looks of pity that she would get from people when they realized what she had.

And now, there it was again. Slightly bulging out the front of her shorts. And while most people wouldn't really notice it unless they look hard enough, there were people that _would_ look hard enough if they really wanted to.

Hopefully she would be able to accept this part of her when she regained the rest of her memories because if she couldn't, then she feared of what she may have to do.

Turning on the heels of her feet, she made her way back to her bed. With a quick flop, she laid her head down and let herself drift off into sleep for the first time in what felt like years.

0/0

Isshin on the other hand, was beyond worried.

Every since his daughter spiritual items were taken, his mind had been jumping from one possibility to the next. She could have managed to reach some knew level or state of being that called them to her. It was equally possible that she had finally be completely devoured by that hollow and had been erased from existence. He wasn't to sure about that last one though because then Thalia wouldn't still be here. Their lives were tied together after all. But then again, he still held out hope that his little girl had finally been purified and sent on to the Seretei. Maybe she would be able to become a Shinigami like he used to be.

" **Isshin, will you calm down for one second! Your going to wear a damn hole in the floor with all your pacing!"** an irritate female growled at him.

"I can't help it, Thalia! What if something happened to my little girl!?" he shouted out in anxiety.

Knowing it wouldn't do her any good, Thalia just waited for her best friend's father to wear himself out. He had gotten like this a handful of times since she meet him and he always had to work the stress that his mind was creating.

So instead, she just did her best to ignore his somewhat unintelligible ramblings and hopped up onto his bed before laying her head down on her paws as she watched him resume his pacing. If it wasn't so worrying when he did this, she would have found it absolutely hilarious.

 _ **^Come on, Chiyoko. You have been gone long enough, your family needs you. ^**_ she softly thought, hoping beyond measure that somehow her friend had gotten her message.

0/0

Sitting upon a stiff chair, Chiyoko watched as the other Espada discussed the upcoming events and the effects it would have on the future. Soon, as in before the end of the week, Aizen was going to send a low-class hollow to attack her human family in an attempt to get her brother to begin his descent into the spiritual world. This also marked the day she was supposed to return to them as well… and she didn't know how she felt about it.

Yes, she _really_ wanted to see her family again but in order for it to happen they have to be put at risk at the same time.

It just wasn't fair. To her. To them. To anyone even remotely involved.

Sighing to herself, she let her mind wander back to the events of the last handful of months. Specifically, when she was given her rank

The first thing Chiyoko did when she started regaining consciousness was glare at the offending light that dared to poor in through her window with her room. Why, to all that is holy and evil, did they have to put up that fake sun! Oh yes, it hadn't taken her long after meeting the Espada that she had figured out the sudden emergence of the great ball of fire that was torching her beloved dark world under its fiery lighting was their doing.

Of course, she also knew that a vast majority of hollows were also weaker in sunlight compared to darkness, so she guessed it was just another way to weaken them as a whole but still! Did it have to be some freaking _bright_!

Groaning, she forced herself out of her bed and out of her room in hopes of escaping it. Sadly, she succeeded but she also ran into another type of nuisance.

Immediately after she exited her doorway, she ran face first into rock hard abs. A sharp sting of pain flared in her nose but she held the instinctive reaction of clutching it. No point in making the Espada think that she was just a weak little girl compared to them.

Instead, she narrowed her eyes abnormally tall blunette standing before her. There was no way to ever misplace Grimmjow; even if she really wanted to.

"Ah…just the shrimp I was looking for." Her voice was cocky and his grin nearly split his face. If she looked hard enough, she swore she could even see that his teeth were sharp like real panther.

Mentally, she twitched at his words. Why did was it that everyone that ever meets her thinks she's a shrimp! She doesn't even like the stupid crustacean!

"What do you want, Grimmjow?" she kept her words steady and cool, something she knew she'd have to pick up again or this group would rip her to shreds.

Grimmjow on the other hand, just grinned even more. To him, teasing this small fry of a hollow was just too much fun. Of course, he _knew_ that she was more powerful than he was, especially since she became a Vasto lorde. And damn did she look badass as hell in that form. But now, she simply looked _cute!_ And that's saying a lot from him because he never thought of anything as cute.

From those exotic eyes of her, all the way down to that completely metal and dangerous looking arm of hers. Not that he planned to say that, at least not right now.

"Aizen-sama wants you for something, so I'd get your ass to throne room, shrimp. He wanted you there a few minutes ago." His grin just got bigger as each word was spoken.

Internally, Chiyoko cursed the stupid cat. Not even bothering to give him any sort of response besides a sharp glare, which only strained his face more from the grin, she took off running down the hall.

Now, if she had any real sort of control over her powers at the moment, she would have just shadow traveled to the throne room but alas, she was stuck at the beginning again. Why did evolution screw with everything when it happens?

Coming to a quick stop, she took a minute to catch her breath before entering. Her lungs stung ever so slightly, but that was something she was told would happen to all arrancar when they evolved. Something to do with our bodies becoming more balanced and trying to figure out how to work now that it wasn't made purely of Reiatsu and negative energy. What that something was, she had no idea.

Pushing her way through the extravagant doorway, Chiyoko quickly surveyed the room around her.

On one side, raised ever so slightly upon a small ledge, was a throne made of pure white stone. In it was the man that had aided her in her evolution, Sosuke Aizen. He was looking out upon the hall around him with the presence of a king or Lord. That was something that instantly tickled at the back of her mind. From what she could remember, Kronos and his son Zeus would always have that aura of entitlement around them as they looked down upon those around them. Father the Homunculus and Genma Saotome had the same feel to them as well.

Instantly, a spark of distrust flared within her mind but she didn't let it show. She would watch him, his actions, and all that he was involved in before she would let her feelings run rampant. He could be different, he had helped her after all, but then so had the others in their own sick twisted ways.

"You summon, Aizen-sama?"

Almost as if they just realized she was there, the entire hall quieted down and watched as the smallest of the Arrancar stood before the Lord of Los Noches. To some, she was an oddball, while to others she was an obstacle that they would have to eliminate in the distant future.

To Aizen, the young arrancar before him was a _very_ important tool to his success. When he had learned of her birth back in the realm of the living, he had been intrigued. It was rare for a human to mate with a Captain class Shinigami; even more so for said human to actually be a full-blooded Quincy. Add in the fact that the girl's mother had been infected with hollow Reiatsu by one of his experiments, well things had started to breach into uncharted territory.

At first, when he had first learned of her existence, he had been disgusted at her disabilities but when she had seemingly transformed around the age of two, he had been intrigued even more. It was practically unheard of for a human's soul to adapt and bring forth a way for its bearer to use in life but somehow, this child had. The marks that were upon her body back then had been one of the biggest clues that she was different, she was _special_. The metal arm with a blade seemed comparable to Zanpakuto while the markings she bore on her torso appeared to be of her Quincy heritage and the pitch-black swirls on her arm were definitely hollow in origin. The animal parts he assumed must have been an unforeseen result of the girl's inner spirits manifesting upon her body. It wasn't that uncommon for Shinigami to take on small features of their spirits when they released their shiki for the first time.

But now, and even when she was first transformed into an arrancar, he let his eyes roam over her body.

Her skin was still as pale as snow, even more white then the stone that made up his fortress and looked seemingly unmarked. Of course, it didn't help that if it wasn't for the small shadows that her clothing cast he would have thought the girl was naked. She still had those exotic eyes and marking upon her face while he could barely see part of the marking upon her chest. Odd though, he hadn't noticed that one the night before, even though he knew it was there when she was alive.

Letting that thought drift away, he let his eyes land upon the metal arm that was in stark contrast to the rest of her. Where the rest of her skin was white and soft, her arm was hard and as black as pitch. He could see small silver spikes along it, probably to act as a weapon if someone tried to force her arm away, and the short blade that extended from her elbow. Then there was the white glove that rested upon her hand, its gem pulsing lightly, and the black circle of symbols that surrounding it, seemingly devouring any form of light that dared to touch it. It simply screamed death to any that tried to force her but Aizen was one thing if not stubborn.

Bring his eyes back upon her face, he let his mind wonder slightly. He already had his zero to nine Espada, including the missing ten in the form of zero, but he already knew that this child before him was about to shake the ranks more so than he already planned. He had figured she'd be powerful, with her heritage and the strength of her Reiatsu from before her ascension, but now that he was getting a real sense of the power that welled up inside her petite form, he was both proud and secretly worried.

He had a hand in the creation of this girl. It was him that had released White onto the young girl's mother when she was nothing but a teenager which eventually lead to her parents meeting and procreating. So, in a way, he was her creator, even in a twisted way. He was proud of the power that practically leaked from every pour in her body and he was positive that as she learned to tame her power, it would only get stronger.

This was good and yet, it was dangerous. If she managed to get past the small mental manipulation that he had the Hogyoku place within her during her ascension, then he was sure he'd be annihilated by the girl. However, the chances of that were so very slim that it was practically impossible.

And now, it was time for her ranking.

"Yes, child. It is time for you to take your place within the Espada." He locked eyes with her gesturing off to his right, "The process is simple. You only need to place a fraction of your power into the device and you will be marked."

Turning her eyes beyond the Shinigami, Chiyoko let her eyes fall upon what she swore was a computer screen with only pure black pad just beneath it. It wasn't that fancy but she also knew that it wasn't the appearance of an item but the effect that it has.

Nodding her head, she strolled over towards it, only taking a short pause in hesitation before laying her palm down upon the scanner.

It didn't feel weird to her. Almost like she had her hand resting on glass but that was probably because she hadn't channeled any energy into it yet. Well better now than never.

Letting only a small sliver of power free, she let it move from her body and out of her palm. The instant it was beyond her flesh, the screen sucked it up like a man dying of thirst in the Sahara Desert.

Immediately a bright flash of blue light erupted from the screen, momentarily blinding the small arrancar. It was only the pain in her lower back that made her from thinking this was some idiotic trick.

When it finally died down, Chiyoko could only stare at the screen before her.

 _ **Chiyoko Kurosaki**_

 _ **Espada:**_ _ **Lemniscate**_

 _ **Aspect of Death: Eternal Oblivion**_

What, by light and dark, is _that_ supposed to mean!?

Turning her eyes away from the screen, she looked back at the other spiritual beings that surrounded her. All of them were staring at her and then back to the screen before going back to her once more. All of their eyes were either wide in utter confusion or narrow in suspicion. Even Ulquiorra was showing more than just indifference.

But it was Aizen's reaction that drew her attention the most.

He was staring at her with a glimmer of utter pride and greed within his eyes. And now that she had a good night, although short, of sleep she could see beyond that mask of compassion that he had used during her time as a Vasto Lorde within her presence. And then, as if someone flipped a switch, his expression went void and his eyes turned to ice.

"What does this mean, Aizen-sama?" her words were soft, even to her own ears, but she knew that he'd know. He had designed the rankings and aspects of death system, so he simply _had_ to know.

Instantly, all eye locked onto their leader and if he was a lesser man he would have started to sweat but Chiyoko knew he'd never let them see him as truly weak or he'd kill them. Or at least try to in her case.

" _Lemniscate Espada of Eternal oblivion…_ this rank was never to be used because it was believed it would never be accomplished." He paused for a moment, almost as if he was thinking about how to say what it represented, "Its meant for those that drift through the void of death, never stationary, and always lost to the world around them."

*v*

After that day, she had been seen as even more of an oddball amongst their group. Some didn't believe that someone like her could obtain such a position while others thought that in its own twisted senses of reality, it did make a bit of sense. Especially when she seemed to break the fundamental mentality of hollows as a whole.

She was pretty sure that the biggest wake up call for them, was when she insisted she be given construction tools and other decorative products from one of the Numeros called Menoly Mallia with the aid of the minor hollows. The only reason she had initially asked this of the physically older teenage girl was because she was one of two aids of Aizen and she wasn't the biggest fan of Loly. That girl was just too much like the bullies she remembered from her time as Persia.

What she needed the tools and stuff for? Well obviously, it was to redesign that monstrosity of a bedroom that she had been given. It took some doing, especially when she forcefully sent some of the intelligent minor hollows to the human realm, not for food, but for building supplies and paints. That had made them especially pissed off with her but they also knew that she wasn't above killing them. After all, she had the fear of death deeply intrenched into every minor hollow psyche. Not even Aizen would be able to take away that fear of her. Besides, if one did go against her word, she wasn't above using them as target practice for when she was trying to regain control of her powers once more.

Her room… well that was definitely a fun point of her last two months trapped within the dull white stone walls of Las Noches. Where the walls were once a flat white color, were now a deep midnight blue, almost black, color with small speckles of light blues, reds, orange, whites, and yellows. She had the planets of her galaxy revolving around the room. Mercury was painted upon her door and it followed that pattern until she got to Pluto resting no more than 2 meters away from said door. She had even painted a giant burning ball of flaming gas upon her ceiling, as if it was the center of the entire room but it was hidden in a place most people will never look, which is up. One item she had to have stolen, seeing as she couldn't pay for the items in question, was an equally black length of clothe that she had imprinted with the full-moon. That beauty was resting over that damn window to block the constant sunlight out of her sanctuary. And that was just the walls.

Her floor was covered in dark green carpet, trying to emulate a grass field under the midnight sky. She loved the feeling as the soft fabric squished up between her toes, and what a joy it was to be able to actually _feel_ things again.

But the real mastery was something else entirely. It took a _lot_ of handwork and a great use of her claws but in the end, Chiyoko had made herself a bed fit for a queen…or at least what she thinks she'd like if she was a queen.

The bed itself was circular, like all her other beds in times of old, but his time she had used a variant of Dymondwood called Turquoise Gemwood. It was typically a hard wood but it was of the variety that could be treated with coloring chemicals and still remain stable. She had decided to model this one after the colors of her Reiatsu, the deep black with an intermixed splash of green, although this one was much lighter than her own colorations.

Anyway, it was rather hard to do it, but in the end, she had gotten it to resemble a dark claw raising from the ground, as if it was summoned from the underworld. It was a full hand with ridged edges and sharp claws. If someone was to run their flesh along any of the points then they would quickly find themselves with a ghastly cut, even if they have a very strong Hierro, as Nnoitra found out when he thought it would be funny to _try_ and grab one of her finished pieces. He still bares the scar from that incident.

The bed itself was soft, just how she liked it, but the part she liked the most was the silver tint she had added to it. It took some work, a few chemical baths, and much sitting outside the fortress because of the smell but she had gotten it the way she wished.

Together it made her favorite things in the world. Something to strike fear into everyone that looks at it, as well as awe but was also in her favorite colors of black, green, and silver. She had even made a few bookcases for anything that she found that interested her, as well as a desk. Her room just never felt complete without these things.

The bathroom was rather simple. Dark green walls with silver trimming, a black marble counter with a silver sink, and an equally silver tub. Don't ask her where the minor hollows found everything because she doubted they'd be able to tell her even if she asked, which she had. So now she had an entire area of her own completely made out of stolen property. It was worth it though.

"CHIYOKO!" an enraged voice shouted.

Stilling her body, doing her best to keep her flinch from showing, said arrancar turned her eyes from the table that she had been seemingly fascinated with for however long she had been blanking out in thought, she let her cool green eyes land upon Kaname Tosen.

Inside herself, she felt like glaring at the man. He had been here for only three days to "check up on them" and that was already four days to much. Like most people, he was much taller than her but he was also of a darker skin-tone and was blind. That however, was not the reason why she disliked him.

He was the definition of Hypocrite, and she knew what one was since she had grown up with Genma Saotome at one point. He would spew words of Justice and Peace, that they should follow the path with the least amount of bloodshed. And yet, here he was instigating a war between two spiritual beings with the humans trapped in the middle. War…war was never the answer to less bloodshed, it only implemented more bloodshed. And yet, he would keep going on about it. More than once she had caught herself glaring at the man from afar and yet, he would only turn his head towards her and smirk before going back to what he was doing beforehand. It made her sick to her stomach and she honestly couldn't wait for either him or herself to leave, whichever came first.

"Yes, Tosen." Internally she smirked at the rigidness that flashed a crossed his body. He absolutely hated it when they, more specifically her, didn't treat him with respect and acted as if he was a bother to them, which he was seeing as she'd rather be outside training some more before her coming trip to the realm of the living. That didn't stop her from mentally crackling with glee as he visibly grinded his teeth together. Who knew that as her more positive memories returned she'd become a bit more…devious.

"You, _Lemniscate Espada,"_ she could practically see the venom spitting from his lips as the words flew from his mouth, "will be deployed to the human realm in the morning before infiltrating them and eventually making contact with Ichigo Kurosaki. You will watch him as he grows into his powers and report back to us what you find at the end of every week's end. If he starts gaining too much power, too fast, you will immediately report it to Aizen-sama. Am I understood."

It wasn't a question but oh how she wanted to treat it like it was and say no. However, if she did that then she would have to sit here and listen to another asinine lecture from the man that we should respect our higher ups and betters. Funny, especially seeing as she was still more powerful than him and that was without a single release yet. Of course, she didn't know how that would stake up against his Bankai but hey, that wasn't her issue at the moment.

Not wanting to be here any longer, she nodded along to him in hopes it would go by fast if he'd get his spiels out of the way.

Sadly, that just wasn't going to work out for her.

0/0

Walking down the street, Ichigo wondered just what it was that he was supposed to do. For the last week, he had done almost nothing but read the books that his dad had given him but it made little to no sense to him.

His dad had recommended that he started with the one about spirit energy but it made no sense to him. All of the texts spoke of needing some form of medium to be able to use it; either a chant, a weapon, or even a random item would work. But he didn't _have_ something like that or at least he didn't think he did; completely forgetting about the other gifts he had been given on his birthday.

And now he was beyond frustrated as he walked down the road.

All he wanted to do was to become skilled in some way to protect his family from being hurt again. And yet, he couldn't even seem to be able to do that. So much for doing whatever it takes, no matter the cost.

With slumped shoulders and a metaphorical cloud of despair rolling off the strawberry blonde teenager he continued his slow stroll.

"… **Ichigo…"** a soft, almost ghost like voice fluttered in his ears.

Pausing in mid-step, Ichigo looked around but there was nobody there.

"Must have just been my imagination" he grumbled to himself, before turning his eyes back upon the road before him.

It was well beyond midnight now, with the moon high in the sky, and he could barely see where he was going; if it wasn't for the flickering street lights then he wouldn't even be able to see at all. This had become something of a habit of his in the last few months. Like his sister, he had always felt a pull to the world beyond the time of sunlight. There was just something peaceful about the cool air that brushed his skin, the lack of people flowing down the street like fish in a stream, and the missing stress of daily life. Sometimes, he thought it was because he _knew_ that this was something that his sister would have done if she had lived and, in his mind, he was doing something for her that she could never do again.

If anyone from school that didn't know him well had seen him, they would have thought he was some kind of goth punker kid. With his orange hair, dark clothing, and silver bracelet he surely fit the image.

That was another change over the last week. Almost the moment he left school, he would take his hoodie out of his bag and quickly slip it on. He made sure it didn't get roughed up in any of his fights with delinquents and took care of it almost as if he was obsessed. Actually, that was somewhat true. While at first, he had greatly appreciated the gifts given to him by his friends and family, he didn't truly treasure them until the following day when it truly sunk in the connects it was affiliated with and broken.

"Ichigo?" a confused voice called out.

Turning his eyes from the road before him, Ichigo let his eyes instantly fall upon the form of Atsuko. Said spirit had actually been rather quiet for the last couple of days. Ever since the theft happened actually. He could tell she was shocked about something but also deep in thought. What it was, she hadn't said, but he knew that she would when she was ready.

"Good evening, Atsuko-chan." That was also another change between them. Beforehand, he was always polite to her, using 'san' when he talked to her, but after her gift he realized that maybe he could have a friend in her as well.

If he hadn't been looking at her when it happened, he never would have believed the light dusting of pink dusting her cheeks as she blushed. It didn't last long though before she forced her emotions back down to a better level. It was still rather cute though.

"What are you doing out here? You know how dangerous it is at night." Concern fluttered in her voice and to be honest, he appreciated it. Not many people ever truly showed their worry for him besides his family and Tatsuki.

Looking upward to the moon, he wondered what to say. He hadn't told his friends what it was that he'd been studying from the books his dad had given him and yet, he felt the need to tell her. Maybe, as a ghost herself, she would have an idea on how to deal with this Reiatsu or Spirit power.

"What do you know about Reiatsu?" it wasn't a demand, just a simple question.

Atsuko was quite for a long moment as she let the orange haired boys question sink in. He hadn't known this but while he was studying, she would sometimes hide within his walls or ceiling, carefully reading along with him. It was rather shocking to her to see that he was learning about the spirit world but given the power that was always rolling of him in waves, it wasn't that surprising. Although why his dad wasn't teaching him as well, was a mystery. She could feel the limited amount of energy within his body and it felt similar to those robed ghosts with swords, similar to the one that her friend now held as well.

Maybe, just maybe, his father didn't think he was the right one to teach him? But then who could it be?

In all her time in Karakura Town, she had only come a cross a few spiritually aware humans. Of course, there is the Kurosakis but she also watched those Ishida men from afar and their energy felt different then either of the male Kurosakis, although Ichigo's had a slight similarity to it. Maybe they could help?

"Well… I know that it's the power that some people have that affect the dead. Most ghosts have a little, some with a lot more, but its even rarer for a Human to have any. Usually they can see ghosts but you have _tons_ more than a normal human."

With his eyes still glued upon the moons shining surface, Ichigo let those words roll around within his mind. He remembered that from a young age he had always been able to see spirits, maybe his entire life. One time, he had asked Chiyoko-nee-chan if she could see spirits too and her answer still shocked him years later.

" _I have always been able to see spirits. It just takes a bit of mental power, Reiatsu or spiritual power, or having a reborn soul. I remember the first time I ever truly took notice of a spirit, I must have been no older than two years old. He was such a kind old man that just wished to be with his daughter but was forced to stay for an unknown reason, even though he knew she had been dead for many years. I don't know which we are but I'm sure we'll find out one day."_

He hadn't taken that speech to heart when he was told the first time but over the last few weeks, he had started to remember it all to well. She had known. How, he still didn't know, but when he found her again he would ask.

"Do you know how I can learn to use it?" his voice was soft but steady. This was a clue to his future and he wouldn't risk missing it by being forceful.

"I do…but I don't know if he'd teach you." She faded out for a moment, as if she was thinking someway to get this to work, "We'll have to go ask but I don't think he'd have any problems teaching you."

"Then let's go."

Hopefully this will be the key to finally understanding what his family tomes were trying to explain.

0\0

The pair didn't go to far, barely 3 kilometers, but they did progress into the more upper-class section of town.

At first Ichigo had thought that maybe Atsuko had just been mistaken about the individual that could use this power but it turned out that he was mistaken.

It was light at first, kind of tingly at the very back of his mind. But he could _feel_ something within the air around the area. He had been here before to visit his cousin and even then, he hadn't noticed anything odd in the air, yet this time he did.

Where did it come from? Why couldn't he sense it during his last trip to this side of town? Was it because he was finally starting to truly opening himself up to the spiritual world beyond telling the few annoying spirits to buzz off? What would happen once he started training in his spiritual powers? Guess he won't find out until he does.

The farther along they pair went, the more Ichigo was recognized the area he was in. Then…his eyes landed on a large mansion at the far end of the road. It was three stories tall above ground, had metal fencing perched upon stone walls all around the property, and a solid black dual hinged gate with a silver cross placed in the dead center.

Ichigo instantly knew the building. How couldn't he? It was Ishida's after all.

A tickle of energy ran along his skin when the pair finally reached the gate but it wasn't harmful. It actually felt welcoming.

He didn't get time to really contemplate what that feeling could possible be when he saw a tall silver-haired figure walking toward him from beyond the gates. And even though it had been over six years since he last saw the man, Ichigo knew him buy sight alone.

His name was Ryuken Ishida. Uyru's father. His mother's distant cousin. And the man that had been the first to reach him at the Police station after the murders of his mother and sister all them years ago.

"What can I help you with…Ichigo Kurosaki?"


	5. Chapter 5

"Concentrate Kurosaki!"

The words were sharp to his ears but after hearing them for two months, Ichigo was beyond used to it. That however, wasn't the point.

Leaping to the left, Ichigo barely dodged a nearly invisible blur of blue energy that ripped its way through what was left of his lose t-shirt. Sweat was soaking his skin to the point that if anyone saw him they'd think he was swimming in a local pool but he didn't pay it any mind.

Huffing for breath, the young teen never took his eyes of the silver haired man that stood before him. Ryuken Ishida stood there with a sense of ease, confidence, and most frustrating to the teen…boredom. He honestly still couldn't believe that this man was actually Uyru's old man.

When he had first asked the man if he could help him understand what Reiatsu was and possibly instruction him in it, he did not expect to be run into the ground with exhaustion by the skilled doctor. He had said that in order allow his body to gain the true abilities of a Quincy he had to refine his body. At first, he thought the man was joking, now he knew it to be true.

Feeling a light tingle of energy through his body, Ichigo quickly channeled it as well as he could into his legs, before forcing his body to jump upward. Without even looking downward, he knew that he had just barely managed to dodge a vicious kick that probably would have broken his ribs if it had connected.

"Better"

Smirking to himself, Ichigo landed on his feet before just as quickly dashing off to get away from his crazy uncle and his energy formed arrows that could peg him in the ass just as easily as he could kick his dad in said ass.

Ducking and dodging through a hail storm of sharp pointy spiritual objects, Ichigo let his mind wander to all that he had learned in the last 8 weeks.

The first thing that he was told about was the true events of what had happened to his sister. To learn that she was devoured by a dark manifestation of a human soul that lived by its instincts in an attempt to fill the loss that had created it in the first place…well it put a lot of thoughts into his own mind. He _knew_ what it was like to be swallowed by grief, loss, and self-doubt. He had lived it in the recesses of his own mind for the last six years after all.

But what really got to him, was the fact that it was possible for devoured souls to become such creatures as well. It was rare but it did happen, especially if the human's soul was powerful. And he didn't think was a more stubborn and powerful soul out there than his sister's. She was so much smarter than she let on, fierce in everything she did, and more than once he knew he had seen _shadows_ come to life around her when she didn't think anyone was looking. So, it simply wasn't possible for Chiyoko to not become a hollow.

The question was…what would happen to her once she did and what did he do about?

He knew that he promised himself he would do what ever it took to get her back from that void, even if it meant he had to become a monster to do it, but how would he ever figure out how to determine which hollow was her over the supposed millions that existed in Hueco Mundo? It would be like finding a piece of hay in a needle stack. Painful but a necessity.

After that lesson, Ryuken spoke of the other main spiritual beings. Shinigami. Death Gods. Beings similar to human's but spiritual in makeup and look like samurai that can affect the living world. Ryuken talked about them as if there were the police of the realm of the dead, but also a slowly advancing society due to their Long life-spans. Supposedly, their blades could cleanse hollows of their negative activities and send them to the Seretei for some form of afterlife and while that sounded just like what he was looking for to at least put his sister at rest, he wasn't sure if he could let someone do it for him.

The teen did have to admit that the fact that he found it fascinating that a Shinigami gained more power as they became more in tuned with themselves and the personifications of their souls, evolving their powers and blades. And while he wasn't as smart as Chiyoko, it didn't take him long after that lesson to figure out the blade that his father had given him was for just that purpose. Although he still didn't know if his dad knew exactly what that sword was for or if it was just a family relic. Heck he didn't even know if he could use it like a Shinigami.

When he had asked about other transformations that Hollows or even the Quincy could go through he wasn't expecting to get an answer that he did.

Hollows apparently had four known evolutions. That had been a rather disturbing thought actually. The minor form, which typically took characteristics of the original being's base mentality and spiritual traits. So at least with that he was sure his sister had taken after some form of canine.

After that it was the Menos Grande evolutionary chain. The Gillian, tall and stupid foot soldiers in their entirety. Draped in long black cloaks with pure white masks. Above those were the Adjuchas and those tended to be massive variations of their minor form but with the added bonus of being stronger, smarter, and various different powers. The Vasto Lorde were the final form and those were extremely similar to humans in shape that if they could cover up their holes, they could most easily fake being dressed up for a cosplayer like his sister used to do.

The thought of just going against a minor hollow was terrifying to him, he couldn't imagine going against any of the others. A small shudder echoed deep in his soul but for one second, he swore in image of a grinning face flashed across his mind.

Pushing that aside, he let his mind wonder down to the charm he wore upon his right wrist. The cool silver, barely gliding across his skin, but he _knew_ it held a form of power.

With his body still on autopilot, Ichigo looked towards the elder Ishida. The man stood with his left leg slightly behind him, bracing his stance, with the same arm arched backward. A wicked silver bow rested within his right hand, sting pulled all the way back, and a gleaming pale blue arrow made of what looked like blue fire laid upon the top of his right index finger. He could see the subtle tension in the mans shoulders from arching the bow for so long, but he knew from experience that the man could hold that form for quite some time.

This was the basic form of a true Quincy.

A talisman, imbued with the energy of one's own soul, taken form. The Power to _eradicate_ a soul from existence. He didn't like that part of the Quincy abilities but he'd use what he could until he found another way.

Ryuken had explained that Quincy talisman were supposed to take the form of a bow when they first form made of pure spiritual energy but that they will evolve as one learns to control their Reiatsu and gain more skill.

Ichigo still wasn't so sure he liked the idea of using a bow. He was after all, a more hands on type of guy. But he didn't think he had much of a choice but to start at the beginning in this case.

Felling his face slowly shift back into its perpetual glare, he focused as much energy as he was willing to try down his arm toward his wrist.

As the energy reached the charm, time seemed to almost slow down around him and as it started to glow with a sharp blue light, he heard a voice he hadn't heard in weeks.

" **Its…time…Ichigo."** Unknown to him, his eyes widened, but that was only the start.

Deep within himself, he felt something break lose. A deep calm presence that made what little energy he could gather before hand feel like a drop in a bucket. That however, came with a shift in his energy.

Before he could control it, the energy flowed all throughout his body. He wanted to scream, but no noise could escape him. A dark blue colored Reiatsu enveloped his body, burning away the clothes that he had, but concealing his body to the world around.

Ryuken watched with baited breath as his nephew was enveloped in what could be considered a cyclone of dark navy spiritual energy. He had been waiting for something like this happen for the last two weeks but now he finally got to see it happen.

When he had first found young Kurosaki standing at his front gate asking him to train him in the Spiritual ways, Ryuken had honestly considered sending the boy home without even answering his question. But he couldn't do that. Not to Masaki child. Not to the boy that has seen his mother murdered by a hollow right after his own sister was devoured by the same being. He _knew_ the boy would go else where to get the training he wanted if he turned him down, but he couldn't allow that. He was sure that the _Wandenreich_ would easily take advantage of the child if the knew just _what_ he held deep inside his soul. And this he couldn't allow.

So, he made up his mind and decided to train the boy. However, unlike his father, Ryuken believe that one should train the body before opening themselves to the spiritual plane of power. This was mostly because if you have the pure physical endurance and strength to hold up against an opponent, then with a small influx of Reishi you can easily out do them.

He had come up with this concept when he first started training under his father back in his youth but he never put it into practice because he simply didn't have a student he could teach it to. Sure, he had his son, but the boy didn't particularly like him because he wanted him to have a normal life instead of a life fighting the dead.

Turning his mind away from his son, Ryuken focused it back on Masaki's. The boy was still shrouded in the same dark navy cloak of energy but that was a given. With all the different mutations stored within the child, it wouldn't surprise him if they were trying to figure out just how to form and how they would affect each other. The simple fact that he was shrouded in a thick layer of Reishi told him that his _transformation_ into a Quincy was going to be similar to how one evolves into Bankai or Vollstandig.

Even though he was a medicine man, the process was still fascinating to him. It did make him wonder just how the boy would come out from this simply awaking of a third of his base power.

Focusing his senses upon the boy, Ryuken couldn't stop himself from quirking an eyebrow in fascination. The boy's energy was surprisingly calm. He had half expected it to be rolling of him in waves like it had been before this point. Yes, it did still leak out into the environment around him, but it wasn't like wild tsunami trying to crash over everything in its wake, now it was like a calm stream simply flowing around and through all that come near.

Yes, this boy will definitely be interesting to watch as he developed. If only Masaki could have been here to see this.

0/0

As the cloak of energy slowly was absorbed back inside his body, Ichigo nearly cried out in joy as the pain in body faded along with it. He was no stranger to pain, either emotional or physically, but never had ever been inflicted with what he could only call Spiritual pain. It was like what he knew to be his soul had only been a shell incasing the actual essence of his true soul and even then, he felt like this part was only a fraction of its entirety.

When the cloak finally vanished, he quickly sank down to his knees, as if they were too weak to hold his new weight. He didn't feel any heavier though. It was like, his body was _different_ than before but his mind and soul need to become accustomed to it.

With slightly glazed eyes, he moved them along his new form or at least what he could see of it from his fallen position.

Gone were his black running shorts, white shirt, and equally black running shoes. Now, in their place were only what he could assume was a variation of a basic Quincy outfit. His legs were incased in what he assumed were a pair of pure white linen made pants, flowing but fitted so they didn't get snagged to easily. His feet were now trapped in what he thought were pure glossy black business shoes that he had seen on his uncle's own feet. His top…now that was different then he was used to wearing. Where once was a loose white shirt that he had picked out for gym class, now rested an ashy grey high-neck tunic with rustic gold coloured metal buttons running up one side, holding the tunic together. The trimming was pitch black. He had to say that he rather liked it, much better than the pure white with light blue trimming that his Uncle had shown him in those old texts.

Lifting his arm, he went to run it across his torso to see if what he was seeing was actually possible but halted right before his hand could touch his chest.

There…right on his wrist, was the pendant that Uryu had given him for his birthday. But it was different now.

Where it was once a gleaming silver colored cross, now it was a simple tarnished silver that almost looked like dark amber cross with a small black stone resting in the center. It was weird, there was no doubt about that.

"Congratulations, Kurosaki. It seems you have finally awakened." His uncle's soft voice said, almost like he still didn't believe what he was seeing.

Taking his eyes off his bracelet, Ichigo shifted them upon his sensei. Ryuken was standing no more than two meters away from him, with his hands resting leisurely in the pockets on his waist coat. His face had an ever so slight smile upon his lips but what really drew the teens focus was the emotions he was seeing within the elder man's eyes.

Pride, sorrow, lose, happiness, and curiosity were the only ones he caught before they froze over in that same determined/bored expression that he was so used to. He knew he wouldn't get an answer if he asked about what he saw, so there was no real point.

Shaking his head as if to get the cobwebs out of his skull, he forced himself back up onto his feet. Feeling the soft cloth against his skin was weird but he shrugged it off, he'd get used to it eventually.

Turning away from his uncle, Ichigo quickly did a quick series of sharp jabs and kicks just to get used to the feeling of his limbs. The ease that he did it was simply amazing to his young mind. Even when he had tried channeling small amounts of Reishi into his arms hadn't felt this smooth. It was like his body had smoothed itself out, like his body was less tense and not fighting him as much as it was before. He had always thought it was that he wasn't practicing his martial arts enough, hadn't stretched properly, or was even taught wrong but obviously that wasn't it.

Turning back to his uncle, he stood up to his full height, ignoring the fact that he was still shorter than the man, and smiled.

"So, think we should practice some more?"

He never got a verbal answer, just a vicious smirk.

Standing outside Las Noches, Chiyoko took a long slow breath of Reishi saturated air for what was probably the last time for a few months. Her toes wiggled beneath the sharp edges of glass sand, paying no attention to the fact that her skin refused to be sliced by its razor edges.

The last week had been nothing short of a hassle. Tosen had actually left shortly after the meeting last night, to the relief of everyone in the compound. So at least that stress was _dead_ to her, at least for the time being.

Sighing, she knew that this was going to suck. She hadn't told Aizen that she had stolen a Gigai from Urahara, that however was part of the issue.

Aizen had told her that she was supposed to infiltrate her brothers group of friends and spy on them for the corrupt captain, however, he never said _how_ she was supposed to such a thing. She assumed that he believes she'd possess a human host and then meld with them, after all it was rather common for minor hollows to do this. But she had another way, said false body.

The problem though is that there has been no research into hollows melding into a soulless body before. Possessing a living being, or another spiritual being yes but never something soulless. Would she meld with it like the Shinigami does or will she be lost to it? Afterwards, would she be able to use her spiritual powers in the Gigai or does she have to be ejected from it? Could she even get out on her own?

There were just so many unanswered questions about what she was about to do but she simply didn't have the time to find out those answers.

Calling upon the shadows the false sun inflicted upon the glass desert, she put all her attention into the infinite void beyond the small portal. Her conscious drifted through toys, clothes, food, furniture, blueprints, tools, and many other items. Little things from each life stacked upon each other, waiting to be used once more but none of it she completely remembers, if at all. Some she was sure were photo-albums of her past families, others were what looked like fetish items. She really wasn't sure what was all in the shadow storage she had created way back in 2003 when she was alive as Persia. Then again, who knows what she put in there when she has lived from 1992 to 2008 as Persia, 47 years as Elfriede, 1973 to 2016 as Haruka, and now she assumed she had been born again in 2003 but turned into a hollow in 2012 at the age of 9. To put it simply, her ideas of the time-steam were uttered fudged up and she was pretty sure there were other versions of herself out there as well.

Shaking her head, she tossed those thoughts to the back of her mind. No real point in driving herself insane trying to piece together her role in history and how the fabric of reality hasn't been destroyed yet.

Gathering up the Gigai that she had buried deep within the void, she made quick work of dragging it to the surface.

Ever so slightly, she saw the shadows start to bubble as if its was water and someone was playing underneath the surface. Then, ever so slowly, she watched as a pale mannequin like silloete ross into the realm of Hollows.

As soon as it was completely emerged, she cut the connection, not even paying attention how the shadows rapidly shot off to their sources. The Gigai flopped down upon the sand glass, small Knicks easily formed upon its skin with little wells of what she assumed was supposed to be blood forming across its right side.

Sighing, she knelt down, letting her hands wrap around the false body's bare chest. Once it was pressed against her front, she took one last breath before pressing herself and the white blob as tight to her chest as possible.

At first nothing happened. But then ever so slightly, she felt something start to give. Seemingly, inch by inch, the false body slipped over her body. The texture was relatively slimy to her sense of touch but she ignored it as best as she could. The weirdest part by far had to have been when the Gigai kept flashing from really warm to really cold. As if it didn't know which way it was supposed to go.

When she finally felt the cool but warm slimy feeling over her body in its entirety, she shuddered. It was like someone had dipped her in pudding…really bad pudding. And then it _sunk_ into her skin. With each centimeter of slim consumed by her soul, she could feel her form becoming for solid. More vulnerable.

Once the final bit was gone, Chiyoko felt something in her chest lurch as if it was dropping hundred of feet all of a sudden. Without even thinking about it, she whipped her hand up and pressed it above her breasts.

… _. Thump…. thump thump…. thump…_

Like a shot of lightning, Chiyoko instantly knew what this feeling was. It was a heartbeat. _Her_ heartbeat.

But how was it possible? From what she had gotten out of Urahara, the Gigai didn't return the user back to life, it just gave them a physical shell so they could visibly interact with the living world. This was _not_ supposed be possible!

And yet, it was

She was experiencing it.

Forcing her mind to calm itself down, she hesitantly lifted her hand to the little gamer charm around her neck. If anything, this thing had to have some idea what just happened.

Giving it a quick tap and a feed of energy, she watched as the holographic screen appeared before her very eyes. But what she saw scared the hell out of her.

 **WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!**

 **Unknown substance absorbed!**

 **Spiritual Species mutated!**

 **Vasto Lorde Arrancar mutated into** **Vita Vuota Arrancar**

 **Due to status, user must immediately return to human realm until next evolution**

 **WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!**

 _What the heck is a Vita Vuota Arrancar!?_ Where the first thought that rocked across her mind.

In all her studies of the soul with Urahara she had never _heard_ of it. Aizen had never _mentioned_ it. That quack of a doctor that the Arrancars had never _knew_ of it! So how in the name of the dead had she _BECOME_ it!

Grinding her teeth in frustration, Chiyoko channeled a small percent of her power into her palm before slashing at the air before her. Instead of the normal Black void that opened up or the white gate the Shinigami were rumored to use, a dull grey void opened before her.

Feeling a twitch in her cheek starting to form, Chiyoko huffed in exasperation before leaping through the new gateway.

Slipping through the gateway into a relatively dark alley way, Chiyoko nearly gaged at the smell of the city hitting her nose. You'd think that as a canine, even a hollow one, her nose would have picked up on the stench but nope! Now she was going face first into it. She definitely hadn't wanted her first smell of the living world to be like that!

Trying her utmost best to ignore the smell, she made her way out of the dark alcove. Thankfully it was night out, or she'd have to deal with too many pedestrians milling about along the walkways.

Fingering her necklace, Chiyoko couldn't help but wondered just what her new situation was. Her mission was still to spy on her brother, she couldn't deny that, but how was she supposed to give said reports if she can't slip away into Las Noches? Could she give it to a lower hollow in hopes that it would return it to Aizen or did she hold off and gather as much as she can until she 'evolved' again? So many new questions, so few answers.

As her mind pondered over the questions running through her mind, Chiyoko couldn't help but look around at the world before her. There were buildings all around her, some were around 3 meters while others had to be around 30, but all of them seemed like they housed people as well or businesses. Then there were the images all over. All trying to gain your attention for one reason or another. It was all rather interesting to her.

Looking at the pictures, she could easily tell that she was going to definitely need to get clothing. Women, from what she could see, didn't wear just a sports bra and short unless they are out exercising and even then, they tend to wear a tank top of sorts over it.

Just what she needed. Honestly, it should have been obvious to her before even coming here, but it had truly slipped their minds. She was pretty sure that she still had some of those cases of money in her shadows, so she could easily not have to worry to much on money, but she didn't want to use it.

Maybe she could find her family and live with them? She was supposed to meet Ichigo anyway, so if anything, this would make things simpler. She'd even have records in the living world if she took her old life back, but how could she just show up in their lives again? It would be unfair to them. They had lived six years without her, mourning her, and living on.

Unknown to her a small warm trail of tears had started falling from her eyes but she paid them no mind.

Guess the only way for her to find out, is to try,

Firming her resolve, she made her way to the first place she could think that would help her find her family.

The Police station.

Walking inside, the first thing Chiyoko took note of was the dim lighting. If it wasn't for her nearly crystal-clear night vision, she was pretty sure that she would have walked into a chair or something.

The waiting room was pretty barren, of both people and scenery. She could see a small coffee station in the corner, a few fake plants, and one drunk guy passed out across a row of chairs. Off in the corner, to the left of the door, was a small booth with a tired looking male. Judging by the bags under his eyes, she was pretty sure that he was working a double shift.

Forcing a nervous smile on her lips, she scurried over to the man. Before she even got close to him, he must have noticed her because his eyes become huge.

"Are you okay, young lady?" concern fluttered through his voice and it almost made her feel bad that she was going to technically lie to him but not too much.

Bobbling her head to the side, she made sure tears welled up in her eyes.

"No, sir! Please can you help me find my family? Their name's Kurosaki? My brother's named Ichigo?"

~v~

When Haru Hattori first got called into work that morning he had expected to work his usual 8 hours on the booth and then go home to spend the afternoon with his daughter and wife for his little girls 7th birthday. That however didn't happen.

No less than twenty minutes before he was supposed to clock out and head home, his supervisor asked him to stay for a double because apparently, his replacement was sent into the ER due to a car accident. It sucked and he hated breaking his little girls heart when he called to let them know that he was having to stay over. Thankfully, he did manage to get his boss to promise that he had tomorrow off since he was here for sixteen hours straight.

So that's how he spent his day. Sitting in that small booth, filling in paper work for new inmates, talking to the families of said inmates, taking bail checks, and drinking _really_ bad coffee. He even managed to play a few games of solitaire on his compute when no one was looking.

That however was shattered when once again, no less that a half an hour from his clock out, a young girl came scurrying into the office. The first thing that he noticed about her was the pure white color of her skin. He'd seen a few albino people before but even they weren't this pale. It was almost like she never spent a day out in the sun for quite some time. The second thing he noted was the pure black obviously metal right arm.

Like all Officers that joined the Karakura Police Department, he had been informed of the case of Chiyoko Kurosaki shortly after the event. The young girl was eligibly taken by human traffickers or pedophiles on the same night that her mother was murdered, supposedly trying to protect her children, and hasn't been found yet. That was six years ago.

So, when a young girl that's around the girls estimated age comes in with an arm very similar in all but color to the child and claims to be the sister of the boy he remembered seeing drenched in his mother's blood as he held a sword, he called it in.

Almost instantly the room was swarmed with the detectives on hand. He watched as they pulled the girl into one of the interview rooms and started asking questions. They drew blood, did her finger prints, and even asked one of the legally able officers to inspect the girl's genitalia because it was recorded that the girl was intersex.

As each one came back positive, Haru became more anxious to call the girls family and have them come down. The issue was, some of the girl's markings were different than they used to be. Their records mentioned the child halving canine characteristics, such as a tail and ears, as well as having an intricate swirl pattern upon her left arm. Now however, said parts were missing as well as the arm markings. Now she had a gem of some sorts embedded into he fake arm, weird white markings fluttered across said arm, silver spikes deployed from small hatches in the arm, and that was just her body below the neck.

Where once were pure white Sclera and black irises, were now very much different. Her sclera had been turned pitch black with little streams of warm amber running through them, as if they were bloodshot. Then there were her irises. How it was possible, Haru didn't have a clue, but her eyes had reverted from the black of her father into a cool green color that almost seemed to glow. She also had those swirl markings that used to run all along her arm but now they ran from the underside of her eyes, down her face only to cross her cheeks toward her ears and neck. It was weird…but in its own way he did admit it was beautiful. Scary but beautiful.

Just like his wife.

Never mind.

Turning his mind back on the girl, he wondered just what had happened to her. While their initial thoughts were trafficking or pedophilia; now they were leaning more towards scientific experimentation. It was honestly the only explanation for the changes in her body that made a lick of sense.

But now the question was both simple and yet hard.

Who had taken the child? Why this child? What did they do to here? How did she escape? And is it reversible?

Personally, Haru didn't think they'd get any answers from the girl. In cases such as this, the victim usually only sees a sect few people and even then, they tend to block out the faces of the people they saw in an attempt to pretend that none of it ever happened. That's if they didn't have masks on their faces or a blindfold on hers.

And so, he watched. Normally, as a regular officer, he wouldn't be permitted to take part in _any_ of this but since he was the one that called her case in and was staying to help with the logistics of it, they were letting him.

As they ran thought question after question with the girl, he watched as she laid both her arms upon the table. It was amazing to him that as the metal prosthetic hit the table, there was barely even a clinking sound. The work that Haruka Saotome did for that girl was simply amazing to any that see it. To think she did her first in the road with her abusive father was simply amazing. Unfortunately, after her death nobody has been able to pick up her work but he had heard of a few people that had benefited from the woman before her untimely end. Those two American girls for example, one just starting college and the other the CEO of some company. Then there was that young orphan girl that was the daughter of two of japans most brilliant computer geniuses.

If he had actually thought about it a bit more, he probably would have noticed that for whatever odd reason, every one that Haruka Saotome helped was female and if he looked deeper he would have noticed that they all have very similar medical records.

At the sound of knocking, Haru drew himself away from his thoughts to go see who it was.

The second he opened the door, he was instantly face to face with what could be said to be a _very_ serious looking Isshin Kurosaki. Being a cop, Haru had known the man for many years but never had he ever seen this look on the doctor's face.

"Where is she!?" his voice was rough, almost animalistic.

Knowing better than to remain where he was, Haru stepped to the side and pointed to the one-way mirror. Before he could even really blink, Isshin was already pressed against the glass.

Even after all the Identity test that had been taken, Haru knew only one way to really test if this was the real Chiyoko Kurosaki. And that was by the joyful sob that racked through his friend's body at the sight of his little girl.

Isshin was a bundle of nerves as he was lead into the back of the Karakura Police Station.

He had just been sitting down with his two youngest and Thalia for dinner when he had gotten the call down. The officer on the phone hadn't said much, just that they had a girl that _could_ be his daughter down at the station. As soon as he had heard that, Isshin didn't think twice about telling his girls that he had an emergency call downtown that he had to get to right away before rushing out the door. He had felt bad about not telling them that he was going to find out if their sister was found but if it did turn out to be a dead-end then at least it would only be him that was crushed. He didn't even want to think how the girls would take it, let alone Ichigo. The boy would be absolutely devastated if it was wrong and he couldn't let his son shrink deeper into that mask he wore.

Speaking of his son, Isshin had to be insane if he hadn't felt the new…texture…to his eldest's Reishi. It didn't take a genius to tell that the boy had awoken the first part of his mothers Heritage. Of course, Ryuken had informed him as soon as his boy visited the Ishida estate and asked the doctor to teach him about Reiatsu. Both men got a good laugh when the boy called spiritual power that instead of its proper term.

Masaki would be so proud of him, especially if what Ryuken says is true about the boy having a physical transformation when using his Quincy abilities. It was simply amazing to the ex-captain. He already knew of the Quincy final form Vollstandig but as far as he knew, that was the only such transformation they had. The Shinigami had two blade transformations with only the final effecting the users outfit and even then, it's only a slight modification. The hollows in general have evolutions but once you reach one you can't go down unless its Adjuchas back to Gillion. So, to believe that he transformed just when activation his power was out of this world.

But then again, he remembered talking to Masaki many times about how they simply _didn't know_ how the mixed heritage would affect their children. There was no way to predict it. So, all they could do was watch and hope for the best.

Shaking his head, he knocked lightly upon the door that apparently lead to a room where he could look at the girl that claimed to be his but not to touch her.

Internally, he hated it but he also was thankful for it. He didn't want to be in the same room as a girl pretending to be his little girl but at the same time, he wanted to be incase she was so he could hug her until her spine broke…not literally of course.

The second he saw the door handle so much as wiggle, he put the most serious face that he had ever made on. One way or another he was going to see what really was going on here.

When he saw who was in the room, Isshin wondered why Haru Hattori was in the room but he didn't voice it. Instead he said one simple line.

"Where is she!?" his words came out rough, almost sounding like Thalia come to think of it, but he didn't apologize.

Haru simply pointed at the window and Isshin pretty much leapt at the window to get a view of the girl.

At first, he didn't know what he was looking at. The girl was pale, like deathly pale. She had no markings upon her left arm but he could easily see them running down her face. He could barely make out the dark red, almost black, marking upon her budding breasts. The distended wings with a crown resting between them and the top of a cross, there was even what looked like a snake head peeking out.

When his eyes landed upon her arm, his eyes nearly popped out of his skull. Unlike his daughters, this one was pitch black with white Quincy symbols rolling across the appendage. There were some amethysts embedded upon the back of her palm and black sharp claws distended from the finger tips. She even had silver little spikes running down the top of her arm and the long elbow blade, just like Chiyoko's had.

Feeling tears starting to form in his eyes, he forced himself to look at the rest of her.

Even from here, he could see the necklace that she wore. It was as odd as ever with beads, a gear, the locket, a ring, and that same light blue-silver stone resting just at the top of her breasts.

Gulping, he forced himself to finally look at her face. He had to see. It was the only way.

And the second his eyes fell upon her own, he broke down. It was her…it was _her!_

Sobs racked their way through his entire body but he didn't care. He had found his little girl.

Because he could see the eyes of a hollow staring out at him from the form of a teenage girl that he hadn't seen since the day her mother was murdered.

Sitting inside the interrogation room, Chiyoko waited. She had been here for over three hours now, going over question after question, test after test, and yet still she waited. She kept up the act of a scared and nervous young girl but even then, this was starting to wear on her.

Then…she felt something.

It was different than all the humans around her. It had more…substance to it.

She could feel the tension rolling of the source even from here, although how that was even possible when she couldn't before in Hueco Mundo, she didn't know.

Soon the source was just behind the mirror, staring at her. She had long since figured out that the mirror was see through, seeing as she had felt a bundle of weaker souls hidden behind it. She could feel its eyes upon her, roaming over her form. Going from her body in general, to her arm, her breasts, then to her necklace, and then finally her face.

And almost instantly, the being's emotions went from tension and hope to pure joy. Why she didn't know but she had a very good guess. It knew her, in some way, and considering the time of night it must be an adult of some form. That told her it was either her mother or father but she couldn't be sure.

As she let her eyes level with the source, she wondered just what her life would now be like and now, she was even more than happy that whatever that stupid Gigai had done to her had worked out. How it had gotten her blood and fingerprints correct, she was unsure but she wasn't going to look a gifted horse in the mouth.

She must have sat there for at least ten more minutes before she finally felt someone coming towards her door. Turning towards the door, ignoring the glimmers of surprise from the people behind the mirror, she smiled as woman in her early 30s came through.

The woman blinked at her a few times, confused on how she was already knowing she was there, before passing it off as a coincidence. It's always a coincidence.

"Ms. Kurosaki?" her voice was soft, as if she was trying not to scare her.

Sending the officer, a gentle smile, Chiyoko nodded.

"If you can come with me, I think I have someone that really wants to see you."

Sitting in his room, Ichigo couldn't believe how much different his life had been since he started learning under his Uncle Ryuken. His body felt better than it ever did before and his mind was just a touch sharper. He didn't scowl as much as before nor was it as intense, even in public.

Of course, he also spent most of every other night running for his life at the hands of his demented uncle but it was so worth it. Recently, Ryuken had recently showing him how to form a basic bow but he was still struggling with it. So far, he had managed to get a _ball_ of Reishi to form in his palm but its nowhere near where he needed it to be.

Lifting his wrist, Ichigo gazed at the little charm bracelet that had been the start of his journey into the true spirit world. The tarnished silver still gleamed at him under the light of the moon, sparking off the dark stone held in the center.

After that first transformation, Ichigo had quickly loomed down on his uncle, asking questions about why he _transformed_ when he channeled Reishi into the charm when normal Quincies only get a bow. The answer he had gotten was not what he expected.

" _You descend from all three spiritual beings, Kurosaki, there is no way to determine how it will affect you in the end."_

His uncle gave him the cold hard truth but at least he told him and that he could appreciate.

That however, made him curious if his family knew of their ancestry. Who came from what spiritual line? How did a Shinigami and hollow line even meld with humans? Was it even physically possible? Actually, he was pretty sure his Quincy genes came from his mom. She was after all cousins of the Ishida family.

"What are you doing, Ichigo-kun?" a sudden cheerful voice said.

Twitching, said teenager took his eyes away from his charm and turned them to the only spirit he had ever befriended.

Being a ghost, she couldn't really change her outfit but even then, he still found her rather pretty. She couldn't have been no more than 16 when she passed on but even then, she was still comparable to his mother and sister in his eyes. Her hair was a soft brown color with little streaks of blonde layered throughout it. Even as a spirit, it looked soft to the touch. What really drew him in though, were her eyes. They were a dark silver in color with little rivers of black running to the center from a black ring along the outside. It was beautiful to watch as her emotions fluttered across them when she spoke. As if, they were trying to suck you in just to hold you for all eternity. But he wasn't sure if he'd like that.

Mentally jarring his train of thought, Ichigo let his eyes take her in as a whole. She was around 157 centimeters tall in all, with her hair just touching her shoulder blades. Her body was rather well proportioned for her size, her hips weren't to big nor was her bust. Her legs _seemed_ to be rather long, probably what was allowing her to reach her height. She wore what looked like a plaid dress that was rather fitted to her waist line and a small collar that formed something of a small V right beneath her collar bone. She wasn't wearing any shoes, so she must have died without them.

When he had first become friends with the ghost girl, he didn't know what to do with her. She was energetic, curious, and just over all a happy go lucky teenage girl. It had taken him a little research but from her clothing, he estimated that she had to be from the 1930-1940s era. And that alone made him sad that her life had been cut so short by a war she probably wanted nothing to do with.

Feeling a dark emotion that he wasn't sure he wanted to put a name to just yet well up inside his heart, he quickly shoved it to the back of his mind and finally decided to answer her question.

"Just wondering about my family." She cocked her head to the side, as if she was a confused puppy, so he went on, "I found out that my mom and dad have some weird lineages, not bad but still weird. When I first truly used my Reishi a few weeks ago, I transformed…"

"You can transform! Oh wow, Ichigo, that's so cool!" her voice got all pitchy in her excitement but he couldn't hold back the small smile that adorned his lips as she bounced up and down in the air.

"Yeah but it wasn't supposed to happen." Lifting his arm, he let her watch as the charm dangled from his wrist, "This had been pure silver with just a cross charm but now its tarnished and has a gem that wasn't there before. My _body_ has felt different since then, as if I'm just starting to actually use it. I hadn't noticed it too much beforehand but now it feels as if some unknown weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I can tell there is still a lot more to go but I am unsure how to go about removing it."

Maybe it was imagination but somehow, he thought that his sister would know what he had to do. She always had an idea if nothing else.

Before he could open his mouth to say anything more he felt a heavy tug inside his soul. Jerking ever so slightly, Ichigo looked down at his chest, wondering what had just happened.

' _What was that feeling just now? It feels so…familiar. As if I had felt it before…'_

The tug happened again…and again…and again. It wasn't stopping, almost continuous. Like someone was pounding on the door.

Feeling his body tense like never before, he unconsciously let his face fall into the heaviest scowl to date.

"Ichigo? Are you okay? What's wrong?" Atsuko voice fluttered into his ears but he was to distracted to really know what she said.

' _it's almost like a heartbeat…"_ he thought with frustration. And then it clicked.

It's a heartbeat.

A pull on his soul.

A connection that he _knew_ was reforming.

"Chiyoko!" he gasped before launching himself out of his bed and out of the room without even bothering put a shirt back on.

"Wait! Ichigo!" Atsuko called out behind him.

But he couldn't stop. His eyes were spread wide with heavy breaths huffing from his lips. His legs were straining to get to the feeling. To get to his sister. He didn't even notice as he nearly ran Yuzu over in haste to get to outside of the house.

Once outside, Ichigo didn't hesitate to follow the tugging sensation. Channelling some Reishi into his Pendant, Ichigo was quickly enveloped in a layer of dark navy spiritual power, before breaking through it in an even greater speed than before.

"Chiyoko!" a frantic voice shouted throughout the house before the harsh sound of heaving footsteps hitting the floor.

Jerking up at the sudden shout, Thalia watched as Ichigo practically flew from the house. She didn't know what could have possible set the carrot top off this time but it had to be something drastic.

Snorting to herself, she pushed herself up onto her hindlegs before trotting over towards the fallen Kurosaki girl. Dipping down ever so slightly, she pressed her nose into the wide eyes girl's cheek to try and get her attention off of what just happened.

The seconds ticked on for a few moments before, ever so slowly, Yuzu looked at her.

"W…what happened to Ich...Ichi-nii-chan?" her soft bell like voice asked with a little waver to it.

Just as Thalia was about to let a low whine of confusion, she felt it.

… _Thump…thump…thump…_

Deep in her soul, she could feel the small connection that she had with Chiyoko's soul suddenly exploded into life. As if she was only slumbering for a long time and just woke up out of the blue.

" _ **So…you finally found a way to return to us… Chiyoko?"**_ her mind echoed as she turned her head in the direction of what she knew was her longest friend, _**"But what will you be like now after this trip into darkness? Will you still be human or will you be something else entirely?"**_

What ever the case was, Thalia was positive that her friend would as least love her family, even if she only was able to see them once more.

" _ **What would you do in a situation like this…Dionysius…Winry?"**_


	6. Chapter 6

Walking out into the hall, Chiyoko felt her eyes instant be drawn to a rather tall man. He had spiky black hair and what looked like a goatee forming on his chin. But what really drew her to him wasn't his looks or even his Reiatsu. It was the tears that were welled up in his eyes and the slight shuddering of his shoulders.

Taking a small step towards the man, she watched as his body twitched ever-so slightly. She wasn't in danger; her instincts would have flared if he tried anything.

Slowly, with the light tapping of her bare feet upon cool hard linoleum tiles, she walks up towards the man. And as she moved, images flashed across her minds eyes, rising from the pool of memories that she still hadn't gone over completely but had access to.

~FBS~

 _Sitting upon the bed that she shared with her brother, Chiyoko let her eyes linger on the ceiling with a distinct glazed quality to them. Like in many of her past lives, she had always been different. Not just from her peers but also from the world around her but today, it was really brought home._

 _She wasn't no older than 6 and even with her keen intelligence and proven love for learning, she had just started primary school. Like most of her time in elementary school, it started with counting, writing, and reading. What made it bad for her was that she had learned kanji and Romani writing systems in her last life which did nothing but make her current lessons an utter bore._

 _Unfortunately, her sensei had picked up on her lackluster attitude towards what he was teaching. This lead to him marching over to her and demand to know why she wasn't doing his lessons. Imagine her utter astonishment when she actually took a minute to take in her new teacher's appearance._

 _It was Hiroshi Imai…one of Ranma's high school friends._

 _When she had frozen in front of him, he took a second glance at her before both of his eyes widening and his jaw dropped. It was then that she knew that he had remembered how similar her current form looked compared to what she looked like as Haruka. His mouth twitched a few times, as if he was about to say something before turning on his toes and going back to the front of the class._

 _He ended up addressing the class, telling them he was going to be leaving the room for a minute and that he would be returning shortly._

 _Hiroshi-sensei couldn't have been gone for longer than 10 minutes and when he did return, she could see the bewildered look in his eyes. After that he just stared at her like she was a ghost. But when she got ready to leave with her daddy at the end of the day, Hiroshi had handed her a small note, saying it was from an old friend of his that had gone through something similar to her._

 _And so, now she sat upon her bed, alone, with that very note resting upon the pillow beside her. The words flashed through her mind, burning their way into her soul, so she could not forget unless she forced herself too._

 _ **Dear Chiyoko Kurosaki,**_

 _ **Do not fear, if you are anything like I was when you were my age, then you will understand what it is that I am about to say, even if it's a touch unbelievable. My name is Hilda Salvaira Potter-Black and as I'm sure you remember, back in 1984 I had asked you for a case of money that you held within your shadow space as Haruka Saotome. If I had to guess, even though I know you did, you thought Hiroshi would be calling your alternate self and you would be hearing from a past life. To be honest…. He did. However, because I remembered this event from my time as you, I was able to intercept the call and erase the memories of the event from ourselves as Haruka's mind. It's confusing, I**_ _know_ _ **, but you will learn in time that when you are born all over the timeline of our world that sometimes there will be interference from a future version of us. And I am afraid that it will get even worse as the years go by. So, do not fear if you have blank spots in your memory, for I know it will make sense in time.**_

 _ **I will not be contacting you again, not until you are me and no longer you.**_

 _ **Train hard and remember to hug your father when you see him again.**_

 _As she reread the letter inside her own mind, Chiyoko still felt like she was missing something._

 _However, she didn't get to think on it much longer when her bedroom door slowly creaked open, letting the light from the hallway pour into her darkened room from behind the tall figure standing within her doorway._

 _Looking at the door, Chiyoko felt a smile come to her lips before leaping at her father and giving him the best hug, she could give him._

 _~FBE~_

She stopped, right before her father. His arms were stretched out, wide open, and beckoning her inside them to be held. They didn't lower as she continued to stand there with no sound in the hallway but the soft ticking of the clock resting somewhere nearby.

And as she stood there, Chiyoko's mind went back to the last line of that letter that she had gotten what felt like a life time ago.

" _ **train hard and remember hug your father when you see him again"**_

Back then, she had though it was referring to when her daddy had come into the room shortly after the fact but now…as she stood before her father once more, she wondered if maybe this was what it meant.

And then, without even thinking on it, she felt like something slid to the front of her mind and a new surge of feelings welled up inside in her. Tears came to her own eyes, pouring down her pale cheeks in never-ending steams of relief. And just like that, she launched herself into her dads' strong arms.

The second her face touched the soft wool of his sweater, pressed against his warm hard chest, she felt his arms wrap around her shoulders and _cling_ to her. As if she was going to disappear the moment he let go…to make sure she was actually there and not a warped creation of his own mind.

"Chiyoko…you're _here…_ you're _alive!_ " his voice was a raspy whisper, just light enough for her to hear it but nobody else.

"I am…I _really_ am." Her words were muffled by his sweater but from the tightening of his hold, she knew he heard.

Running down the street, Ichigo paid the world around him no mind. Cars, people, and even buildings seemed to blur around him as he sped down the road as fast as his legs would carry him. His face _burned_ from the wind crashing upon his face and the salty tears that were falling as he ran but he simply did not care.

… _thump…thump…thump…_

He could feel it. Every lurch, every quiver, every _beat_ of his sisters' heart through the bond that they shared. For years it had felt like there was a massive void inside him but now…now he could feel it filling with every second of his sister's life.

Weaving around the bend, Ichigo sent his senses out beyond his physical body. Searching for his sister. At the very edge of his relatively small range, he could feel it, but he had no idea what it was. He instinctively knew it had to be his sister but this was much different than anything he was expecting.

It was…dark…but warm? It didn't feel evil to him…just jaded. It was similar to what he had felt coming from a hollow, even though it was at least a thousand times stronger than any of the regular hollows around town but it had a distinctly _living_ feel to it.

Shaking his head, Ichigo forced himself to ignore the particulars of his sister's spirit energy, and instead focused on the fact that no matter what he would be able to hold her again in his arms.

Forcing a little more energy into legs, he launched forward so fast that if one had looked his body would seem to be flickering, like an afterimage.

~/~

Coming to a dead stop in the front of the Police station, Ichigo took a short second to relax his Reishi. Almost immediately his clothes seem to start breaking apart into dark blue spirit particles, leaving him in just a pair of black shorts and white tank-top.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself before walked across the hard asphalt, using the pain of it digging into the soles of his feet to keep his mind from going insane with _what ifs._

"Hello? Is anyone in here?" he called out as he slipped through the tinted glass door.

But the room was dead silent. Scanning the room, his eyes passed over the cheap fake plants and what he hoped was a water stained chair in the waiting section before finally resting upon the reception station.

Quirking his eyebrow at the empty station, he wondered just where everyone was at. He could see the coffee cup off to the left of the desk, so someone must have been here recently. There was a bell on the counter but if the police were busy with something then he couldn't just start ringing until someone came. That and if he did that he would probably piss himself off at the sound and the lack of someone actually coming.

Just as he was about to start shouting again to see if someone was just in one of the back offices, his eyes fell through the small glass panel that rested in the door that lead back to the interrogation rooms. But his eyes slipped right through it and fell upon the sight of two people clinging to each other, like a life-line.

One he instantly knew was his father, but even from here he could see the tears rolling down his face, matting his goatee before falling onto his companion's raven coloured hair. The other he couldn't really see too well with her being effectively buried in his dad's arms but even from here he could see the paper white skin that seemed to go from the tips of her ears and down to her small bare feet.

Staring for a moment longer, Ichigo slowly called upon his senses once more and almost instantly, he could feel the warm dark energy that was simply _pouring_ off the girl in his fathers' arms. And with that, he felt like a weigh that had been smashed down upon his shoulders was finally be taken away.

"Chiyoko…"

His words came out as an utter but as he watched the pair, he saw his sister's body instantly tense before her head shifted ever so slightly in his direction. When one of her eyes peaked out beyond their father's bicep, he felt something lurch inside him.

Where once were a pair of black irises that sparkled with intelligence and determination, were now something out of this world. From this far away, he shouldn't be able to see it but somehow, he was.

What was once black became a startling vivid green color that seemed to almost glow with suppressed power and slitted pupils. Her sclera had shifted to a pitch-black color with what looked like warms streams of amber flowing from the corners inward toward her gemlike eyes.

It was weird…it was inhuman…but it _was_ his sister.

And no matter what she looked like, she would always be his sister.

Clinging to her father, Chiyoko let all of her emotions out as she sobbed into his chest. With each second that he sat there holding her, she felt like a small part of herself coming back to life. Like she wasn't simply observing and acting, but truly living.

And so, as she slowly calmed down, secretly using her father's sweater as a tissue, she let the tension drain from her. When her arms finally relaxed enough to actually feel with them, she felt a blush come upon her face at the large tear in the back of her dad's sweater.

She didn't even know that she had done that. Hopefully he won't be too mad at her when he found out.

"Chiyoko…"

The voice was soft but also distinctly masculine, unconsciously making her body tense.

Slowly, she turned her head in the direction she had heard the voice and almost immediately saw the source.

Beyond her dad's arm, past the investigators, and even through the glass panel of the door at the end of the hall was a tall blonde-haired boy. He couldn't have been no older than fifteen, even with the frown lines resting upon his forehead.

As her hollowed eyes rested upon his own warm brown ones, she could see both terror and love flicker beneath the surface. And that made her relax even more than the hug from her father.

She knew exactly who the blonde was. He was her brother. The boy that had seen her die, the one that she had meet in the local cemetery a few years back and had showed her the sketchbook she had kept when she was alive, and the very same boy she had sensed sitting upon the roof of his school with a bundle of other inactive spiritual empowered humans and ghost.

It was her Ichi-nii.

Her protector.

Her twin.

And her eventual equal in this life.

She was startled out of her line of thought when the cop that she had first meet when she entered the station tapped her on the shoulder.

Whipping her head in his direction, she found him standing there with a smile upon his lips and a coat held out to her in his clenched fingers.

"Here you go, Miss Kurosaki. It wouldn't be decent for a young girl like you to be walking around the city at night, especially not in your current attire."

Look from the coat and back to his eyes, she had to blush a little bit. It was kind of indecent of her to just be walking around in just a pair of skin-tight shorts and sports bra. So, without further ado, she took it from his grasp and slipped in on. It was a touch to big, even with it zipped up all the way, it was slipping off one of her shoulders and went beyond her fingers by at least four inches. It also smelt distinctly of burnt coffee.

"thank you, sir."

He didn't say anything back but he did nod.

Felling an arm wrap around her shoulder, she tilted her head upward to see her father staring down at her with a soft smile.

"Come on Chiyoko, I think it's time we take you home."

And so, together the pair walked beyond the door and into the room that her brother was waiting on.

She didn't get far before she found herself being scooped up in her much taller brothers arms and lifted from the floor. She squeaked at the sudden movement but beyond that no noise came from her.

Almost immediately, she felt the weight of his head being pressed into her shoulder. If it wasn't the sounds of his soft sobs, then it would have been his shaking that told her the truth of what was going on.

"Shh…sh…it's okay, Ichi-nii. Its alright, I'm back and that's all that matters." She cooed into his ear as she ran her fingers through his hair, while also mentally fawning of how his hair could be so freaking spiky and yet, be so soft.

That however, only seemed to make it even worse.

"Its not, Chiyoko! You _died_ because of me!" He nearly shouted in her ear but was able to muffle it slightly so the police didn't hear that admission. "If I hadn't been so stupid and gone after that ghost, then you wouldn't have been hurt like that. You wouldn't be like _this!"_

She didn't get to respond though because their father cut in.

"Ich… son, none of us blame you for what happened that night. What matters is that your sister is home with us _now…_ but if you really feel that bad about it then we can talk about it more later on, when we are home."

It wasn't a scolding, and Chiyoko was thankful for it because her brother didn't deserve something like that while breaking down over guilt, but the older male had a point. It wasn't really smart to talk about the incident in the police station. That last thing she needed was for them to start looking at it in a different angle.

"He's right, Ichi-nii. I promise, I'll talk to you later about this, okay?" doing her best, she tried to make her voice come of as warm but she was also starting to get strained from all these emotional upheavals.

So, gently as he could, her brother put her back down onto the ground before whipping his eyes to try and hid the fact that he had been crying.

And together, the trio walked out of the station.

Ichigo was on her right with his arms folder across his chest and a frown on his face but happiness glimmering in his eyes, Isshin to her left with his mega-watt smile plastered on his face for the first time in over six years and actually be sincere, and Chiyoko calmly walking between the two as she tried to get a grip on what was happing.

She had unexpectedly come back to life when she put her soul into that Gigai but had to flee from Hueco Mundo due to the fact that she was now in a living body that couldn't survive the trials of staying in the spirit world.

This was a major issue for her, mostly because she didn't know how she was supposed to get her reports to that asshat Aizen if she couldn't visit him. She doubted that he could come to the living world without being caught too often, so that was out of the question. Guess she could always ask one of those helpless minor hollows to take her report to the monster.

The other issue was that she had no idea how her powers had been affected due to her current living status. She knew that hollows were supposed to be twisted souls of the dead but what would that mean if she returned to life? Could it be that with time she would lose that darkness or would her hole just close up over time?

There were just too many things about her that she couldn't answer, at least not with her father and brother being right there as she did it. It would have to be when they were all asleep, hopefully they won't be too mad at her if they find her bed empty.

Actually, that's another question she needed to get answered.

"Um…where will I be sleeping?"

Almost instantly, the males beside her seemed to stop.

Turning around, she saw both of them looking both at her and not at her, like they were seeing through her. It was kind of funny actually.

Her father tried to answer first but as he failed to come up with words he ended up looking like a gasping fish instead. Ichigo on the other hand look both confused and worried which only made her quirk an eyebrow at him. When he spotted that look on her face, his own turned a lovely tomato red.

Finally, her father snapped out of whatever trance he put himself in.

"Why, with Ichigo of course!" his voice came of as boisterous but with a lick of nervousness, "You used to share when you were younger, so its okay if you do it now as well. Besides, you're twins, so I don't think you would be getting up to anything scandalous."

As her father trailed off, Chiyoko could only stand there and stare at the man she knew was her father. In her mind, she knew that she wouldn't do anything like that with her brother, it just was kind of awkward sharing a room with a 15-year-old boy, especially when she _knew_ what they did at night.

Thankfully, she didn't have to voice her thoughts, although she was sure that her burning cheeks did a go enough job of doing it anyway, because Ichigo gave his own answer.

His own answer… a swift punch to their father's face. There was a slight cracking sound from the force of her brothers knuckles slamming into the man's scruffy face but the most amazing part was how her father flew a few dozen feet down the street just from the force behind it.

Even more surprising to her was the lack of Spiritual power in his attack. Which meant…that it was pure physical strength.

For a plain human, that wasn't bad at all!

"Shut up, Goat Face!" he yelled as he ground his teeth into each other, "Why do you always have to say stupid shit like that?!"

It didn't help that her brother was blushing just as much as she was.

So, she giggled at it all. She hadn't seen something this…relaxed in quite some time. Sure, in Hueco Mundo or even Las Noches they fought but it was usually with the goal of mortally harming each other to show how strong they were.

Unconsciously, one of her hands moved behind her back and traced a finger along the infinity symbol along the small of her back.

Thankfully, before her mind could wonder back to the few…. friends?... she had made in the arrancar ranks, Isshin came stumbling back up the road.

"Then I guess she could room with Yuzu and Karin? I'm sure they would just love to know their big sister again!" his voice wasn't as boisterous this time but there was also a trace of guilt at the end.

The second he said those words, Chiyoko felt her back stiffen.

For the last few months, ever sense she became an arrancar really, she had been thinking about her brother, _only_ her brother, and never did she think about her little sisters. Yuzu and Karin were around 4 years old when she had originally died, so there was no way that they knew anything about her besides what her brother and father said to them and pictures of her. But if she had to guess, her brother probably didn't say anything to much about her, if the guilt he showed over her death was any indication. She almost wanted to be mad at him for that but she also couldn't blame him.

"Its Okay! I can stay with Ichi-nii…" she yelled out before flushing even more when both males looked at her, "I mean…If it's okay with him?"

Hesitantly, her brother nodded in agreement but his eyes still showed his surprise. Guess it was a little weird for a fifteen-year-old brother and sister to share a room but then again, she had been missing for over 6 years. So, there was a little leeway for them.

With that situation settled, they continued on their way.

Moving about the kitchen, Yuzu ignored the feeling of the tears as they trailed down her cheeks. She had been in here for about ten minutes now, putting away and then bringing back out the food that she had made for her family tonight. But no matter how many times she does it, she couldn't understand what happened to Ichi-nii.

It was just getting to supper time when daddy called to let them know he was going to be home late but then no more than 3 minutes later, Big brother Ichigo screamed Chi-nee-chan's name and ran out the door looking both extremely happy and scared to death. She saw a flicker of some dark emotion in her brother's eyes and she wasn't sure what to make of it.

It hadn't been that obvious to Yuzu and Karin when they were little but over the last few years they had started to really see the depression and guilt that was dwelling deep within their brother. It was then that Yuzu had really tried to take Chi-nee-chan off of Ichi-nii's mind.

That however, didn't really seem to work all to well, especially when you consider that all Yuzu could do was house hold chores and help in the clinic. Those where things that Chi-nee-chan did, so all she ever did was make him see their elder sister right along with her as she did things around the house.

And now, she had a feeling of dreed setting in her tummy.

What it could mean, she wasn't sure but she knew it was going to be coming soon and all of their lives were going to change drastically.

For better or worse, either way Yuzu had a feeling she wasn't going to like it.

Jerking his head up, Kisake took his eyes off of Yoruichi's sleek black furred form and looked to the east.

" _Well well well…I guess she finally decided to return."_ unknowingly he grins with a rather vicious smile, " _I do believe young Chiyoko owes me for that Gigai she stole, although it would also be interesting to see what happened when you put a hollow inside a false body."_

Oh, how he laughed himself to sleep all that time ago when he discovered that the girl had stolen from him. It had taken a few weeks to find the absence of the Gigai but what really intrigued him was _how_ she got past his security and even where the Vasta Lorde had been able to hide it.

Hopefully he could convince Isshin to let him run a few scans on the girl. It would be quite interesting to study just how her physiology had changed since he last took a sample. And judging from the feel of the teenagers Reiatsu, she had somehow evolved once more or even maybe even more than that. The girl did have a simply stupid rate of improvement. Just like her brother actually.

Rubbing his chin, Kisake let his mind drift from the eldest female Kurosakis and onto her twin.

Ichigo Kurosaki was an interesting subject, both physically and spiritually. Before his awakening of his Quincy powers, Ichigo had nothing in the line of filters to his Spiritual power and simply let it run rampart on the world around him. Heck it was one of the reasons Karakura was so hollow infested. But now, his power only flowed out of him and into those that had already absorbed traces of it, thus empowering them more and boosting their fledgling sources of power.

Not that Kisake would even tell this to Isshin, but it was probably for the best that Ichigo had awakened his mother's heritage first. Quincies, from his own studies and past research, naturally have filters inside their bodies that kept their powers from effecting the living world and make it so they can easily draw upon the Reishi from the world around them while Shinigami's on the other hand have more chaotic energy that takes years to calm before it can be suitably be used. Hollows had it even worse than the Shinigami because they were twisted on themselves and instead of trying to gain control of their powers, they try to evolve into more spiritually dense beings that makes it so they can use less amounts of power for more destructive purposes.

Of course, this last part he devised purely from studying Chiyoko for over a year. The Captain Commander sure did appreciate his research notes though, even if he was still quite pissed with Kisake over letting the girl escape simply because she wouldn't let him study her soul again. And thinking about it, Kisake was an idiot for both poking a Vasta Lorde with a freaking stick like he did and even worse throwing a tantrum for her not doing what he wanted.

Sometimes being a mad genius wasn't good for his common sense.

Oh well, it wouldn't be fun if he stuck to all the rules like normal people anyway, as long as he doesn't go batshit insane like Mayuri did.

"Looks like events are finally starting to come into motion, but the real question is how will it end?"

Pausing in her walk, Chiyoko stared at the house before her.

It was a rather simple home with two stories and what looked like an extension of to the left that had sliding doors that she knew were common at hospitals.

Even from outside, she could feel a sharp sting of power. It was slightly familiar to her, as if she had felt the power before and knew the source but it was locked away from her. Internally, she growled at her lack of positive memories resurfacing within her psych. It was times like this that she knew she had the answers but simple didn't _remember_ them.

It was utterly unfair.

Her dawdling must have been noticed, as the Kurosaki males stopped a few paces in front of her before turning to look at her once more. Both had a look of confusion on their faces, almost mirroring each other in expression. By Shadows and Light, they were so similar.

"Who…who is all inside the house?" her voice came out soft but to her own ears it was sort of empty.

The males look back and forth from herself to the house before one of them answered.

"Just Yuzu, Karin, and Thalia like normal. Sometimes Tatsuki comes over by but she wasn't here when I left."

In her mind, flashes of a small girl that had spiky black hair and a glorious smile appeared at the front of her mind.

" _Tatsuki…that was her name." a smile fluttered onto her lips at the thought, "But who is Thalia?"_

Like before, Chiyoko had small flashes of images fly through her consciousness. A scene of a snow-white wolf laying upon the ground with a pool of blood rapid forming beneath its half caved in skull. Another of a much smaller wolf that looked like it was just about at the end of its pregnancy as sat inside a wooden shed of sorts, shadows slipping along the floor and tears welling up in its eyes. A final scene that came to mind was accompanied by a massive sense of guilt and the sight of a teenage girl with spiky raven hair being blasted with bright green lightning that was originating from a man that looked strikingly similar to the teenage girl.

"Thalia…the wolf?" she muttered to herself under her breath before feeling her mind tense up and shift.

Clenching her hands into fists, she lifted her head, not even noticing she ever lowered it, and trudged towards the door. Then, without as much as a knock, she twisted the knob before sauntering on in.

Almost immediately, her eyes seemingly glided over the frozen figures of two young girls and a positively massive white wolf, before latching onto a large photo of two females.

One was obviously older, with her height and more mature figure being rather blatant, with the same strawberry blonde as Ichigo and warm brown eyes. Her smile was warm and loving to all that saw her, making a part of Chiyoko want to cry for the woman that didn't have a way of returning to life. Ichigo definitely took after the older woman, when he wasn't scowling that is.

The younger girl had short raven coloured hair, similar to her own actually, and sparkling obsidian eyes. Her skin was pale but still several shades above her current skin tone. Many people probably thought she was dead with how unnaturally white her skin tone was now. Her automail port was barely visible with the tank top on, as well as the Flamel marking, but the pitch-black swirls that were on the girl's arm were nowhere upon her own. Then again, those marking where the mark of shadows and she knew they had to be the same ones that now adorned her face. If she was being honest, she liked them on her face much better than on her arm. They looked more exotic this way.

As her eyes drifted down, they fell upon a table like shrine beneath the photo. It was rather long to her, especially since there was only a single bracelet and a stuffed animal resting upon its polished surface. There was even an empty weapon stand off to the right.

"Heh hem!" a soft voice coughed out.

Looking over her shoulder, Chiyoko had to hold back the smirk that threatened to spread across her lips.

Standing no more than two meters from her was a small 11-year-old girl with similar coloring as Ichigo, if a smidge lighter, wearing an apron and pouting at her, although she was pretty sure the girl was trying to glare at her.

"Yes, Imouto-chan?" humor coloured her voice and judging by the smirks that her brother and father were wearing, they found it rather funny too. Sadly, little Yuzu didn't seem notice what she really meant while Karin did, if how large her eyes had gotten and the fact that both her jaw was trying to sink into the floor as her eyebrow shot into orbit.

"Are you a friend of Ichi-nii's? You know its really rude for a stranger to just walk into someone else's home like that." The was a hint of scolding in the girl's tone but she was about 150 years away from being able to actually dent her mental barriers. Although, somewhere in the recesses of her mind she did feel a small clinch in despair. Probably just because it was done by her little sister but she paid it no mind.

Thinking of playing with the girls mind just a little bit, she put her idea into action.

"Well…I guess you could call me a friend, although we've known each other since birth. So, we're practically twins." The only sign of her little game was the mischievous glimmer sparking in her eyes and the way the shadows of the house seem to wiggle in joy.

And as she watched the girl, she couldn't help but wonder when it was going to click just who she was.

"Yuzu!" she heard Karin groan under her breath and that made Chiyoko interested in the meaning behind it.

" _I wonder if this is a common issue with little Yuzu? Maybe she has a Big Brother complex? Definitely wouldn't be the first girl in the world to have one."_

Turning her attention back to her Imouto, Chiyoko could see the tinge of red on her cheeks, the distrust in her eyes, and the adoration that practically sparkled of the girl when she looked at Ichigo. It was kind of cute, in a…platonic sort of way.

Feeling eyes upon her, she followed them to the source and immediately locked eyes with her brother. His eyes were steady and even though he was smirking at the teasing that of their little Yuzu, she could tell that he was telling her to get on with it already.

Sighing rather heavily, the hollowed girl made sure to reach out with her automail arm before gently pressed her finger against the girl's lips to get her to stay silent.

"Yuzu, do you remember who I am?" her words were equally gentle as her touch but with a dusting of curiosity.

The room was silent and tension was racing across the room but Chiyoko could still see the blonde's eye stare at her with a massive intensity for a preteen. She watched as the child's eyes went from the crown of her head, down her face, and stopped at her shoulder. Frankly, she was surprised that her eyes didn't draw much of a reaction besides a slight widening at their weird appearance.

What really drew Yuzu's attention was her automail arm. It was sleek in appearances and didn't have many noticeable seams to the naked eye unless you where the one who built it. She watched as the girl's eyes followed the blade that stuck out from her elbow before darting back down the rest of it. Yuzu's eyes seemingly bounced from one silver spike to the next before finally stopping on the finger that was resting upon her lips.

A small shudder went through the girl's body at the sight of a long black claw extended from the tips of her fingers but she didn't push it in hopes of trying to escape.

" _Wow…to shadows and light that last thought made me feel like I was some sort of crazy murderer."_

Internally, Chiyoko shivered at the thought. She would never kill a human being unless she absolutely had to and even then, she'd have to force herself to do it. Humans were her children after all.

And then, Yuzu finally met her eyes. Fear was prominent in them but not as much as the dawning understanding that was slowly rushing to the forefront. Her eyes started to sparkle, not from innocence or anything of the sort but from tears as they welled up on her lids. So, as the younger girl started biting her lip in an attempt to not let her tears fall, Chiyoko took her finger away from her Imouto's lips and gave her a small sad smile.

"O…O-nee-chan?" Yuzu hiccupped as she spoke but all it did was tell her the turbulent feelings within the girl.

"Hello, Imouto-chan."

Before she could even really finish her response, Chiyoko found her arms enveloped in not one but two pairs of smaller arms. Two contrasting heads of hair, one blonde and the other raven, were being pressed firmly into her chest as tears fell from the preteens' eyes and wetted her clothes but she paid it no mind.

Pressing her forehead down between the girl's heads but on top of their crowns, she let her own tears fall just as her mind shifted once more. Her body relaxed from its rigid stance and seemingly melted into the embrace of Yuzu and Karin.

Under hear breath, she mumbled one simple sentence to herself.

"I'm home now and _nobody_ is going to take me away from you ever again."

~/~

Walking through the darkened hallway of her family's home, Chiyoko happily enjoyed the feeling of her long-wet hair plastered against the back of her neck and the warm fluffy towel wrapped around her body.

The last few hours had been a definitely awkward turn of events, especially dinner.

She hadn't meant for it to be awkward but it just kind of came out like that. The most jarring moment had been when Karin tried to ask her about why her appearance had changed so much from the pictures they had of her. More than once she had spotted the entire family looking from her head to her lower back and notice her lack of animal parts.

It was an innocent question, so there was no reason for it to be hard, but how do you explain the fact that she had actually been devoured by a monstrous spirit and then became one herself before finding a way back to life? That's not even counting all the memory loss that she was still mucking around in and would be for at least a year.

So, in leu of telling the family the truth, she opted for the police's belief that she was taken due to her animal attributes and then experimented on. This leading to a 'new' prosthetic arm with a more vicious design, evil inhuman looking eyes, and alabaster colored skin while having her animal parts removed by force through surgery.

Of course, like all stories, it had its flaws. Like the shift in location for her shadow markings and how she doesn't have any scars like most people in history when they were experimented on but she simply played it off as she didn't know all of what they did. Which is why tomorrow their dad was going to take her to see their Uncle Ryuken Ishida at the city's main hospital. It sucked for her but at least she wouldn't have to worry about to many issues, legally, with her sudden rebirth.

Besides all that, she found herself under a rather intense stare from her little sisters, especially Yuzu. She'd chalk it up to them being curious about her, after all they were toddlers when she died, but for some reason she sensed admiration from both and yet, jealousy from the little blonde.

Now that she thought about it after a long hot soak in a place that wasn't full of psychopathic killers, its was kind of funny. From what she learned during dinner as everyone tried to explain their lives all at once, Yuzu had basically taken over doing all the house work, Karin was something of a tomboy that loved soccer, and Isshin went back and forth between serious and goofy. Ichigo, on the other hand, had taken to beating up the local gangs and was labeled a delinquent because of it while also being the best big brother he could for his remaining sisters. He would go with them shopping when they asked it of him, help them with their homework, and generally try to be there for them. If he wasn't tied up into something else already that is.

All of this she learned from the things that everyone but her brother said to her. Ichigo had remained silent most of the time at dinner and had only really spoken about how Tatsuki was going to be really happy to hear she had returned.

And hearing this, made a smile come to her really quick.

She didn't have any memories of the girl that had been completely positive but the few bad or neutral ones that she had recovered so far showed her in a teasing light. Sure, the girl liked to pick on Ichigo when they were little but then again, the boy did cry a lot back then and Tatsuki had the thought in her head that as Chiyoko's sibling that he should be tough too.

It wasn't completely right or even ethical but like many kids she remembered through out her lives, she didn't completely judge them harshly because they were _kids._

Pushing open her bedroom door, she came face to face with her little brother standing there in just a pair of black briefs and another tank top clenched in his hands. She wasn't interested in him that way, but even she had to admit that her brother had a hot body with lean muscled everywhere.

As she stared at him with dispirit, she felt a small well of pressure in her mind before she giggled, causing him to spin on the balls of his feet before stopping right before her, his face all red in embarrassment.

"Chiyoko! Wh…What are you doing?!" his words came out as something between a squeak and a yell, only making her laugh all the more.

"I need clothes…or do you want me to walk around naked?" just to tease the poor boy a little more, Chiyoko lowered her voice a smidge until it was slightly husky. It must have worked because Ichigo flushed even harder and visible jerk away from her.

Laughing all the harder, she slipped around him and dug into his dresser. She found a pair of briefs that looked like they would fit and a shirt that would definitely cover her body.

"Don't look." She cheered at him.

"Trust me, I won't!"

So, with amusement fluttering in her heart, she quickly dropped her towel while behind her she heard the tell-tale sound of a hand smacking into a face. Figuring she'd save him from more embarrassment, she quickly slipped the clothing on and shut the closet door.

Turning around, she found Ichigo standing ramrod straight, hands firmly placed over his eyes, and his entire body bright pink.

"Oh, Ichi-nii, you can open your eyes now. Gosh, its not like you've never seen a girl naked before."

Not seeming to trust her, he cracked one of his fingers open just a pinch and when he saw her just standing there and dressed for the night, he let his hands finally fall away.

"I thought girls were supposed to be modest about showing their bodies?"

Cocking her head, she just stared at him for a second before shrugging and plopping down on their bed. It wasn't as comfy as the one she stole, which now that she thought about it wasn't very nice, but it would do for now at least. Besides, they shared a bed almost their entire life until she died, so it really shouldn't matter if they did it now. And like it was said earlier on their way home, they were twins after all.

"You didn't answer my question." He called out again before laying down beside her, with his back pressed nearly up against the wall.

Looking over at him, she saw the general curiosity in his eyes, even though his face was pretty much neutral looking.

"I guess…. I've just never been that modest. I'm fairly sure that when we were younger I rarely wore clothing around the house unless forced to, right?" Her words had that confused tone to them and by the raise in her brother's eyebrow, she was sure he caught it too.

"I think so? M-Mom used to laugh about it all the time while Goat-chin freaked out a lot." As he spoke, Ichigo's eyes became a tad unsettled, "Don't you remember that?"

In response, her sad smile got cumbersome.

"I don't remember anything beyond my negative memories. Bullying, fighting, arguments, sexual attacks, and depression are the majority of what I can remember these days. If it even has an ounce of happiness to it, I simply don't remember. It's been like that since…" as she trailed on her voice steadily got softer until it was just barely above a whisper.

"Since you _died…"_ her twin growled out in a hoarse voice.

"Yes, since I died." The finality of her words actually made him flinch, "When I woke up…I was a monster of a being. My purpose had been to put out the flickers of life inside humans but I couldn't do it. I refused to go down that path. So, instead, I went after other monsters like myself."

"Hollows right?"

Frowning at the younger boy, she wondered how he knew what she had meant.

While she did remember him being able to see ghosts when they were children, she didn't think that he would have advanced enough in actively use his Spiritual power in a human shell. She was sure that when she was around the age of 4 when she first saw the true monsters that hid in the shadows of the dead that gave even someone as traumatized as herself nightmares.

She still remembered that incident in vivid detail. It had a disgusting looking Centipede body that had weird birdwings and a deformed dog face and as it ate a group of children right next to her kindergarten classroom window, she knew that her face had been etched in a look of utter horror.

Although Aizen's report hadn't told any of them that they would be visible to the boy now. Which meant that he activated the next level of spiritual awareness but also, he only had two more until he would be able to attack. She had mentally labeled them; human sight, echo souls, dense souls, weapon formation, and spiritual awakening.

As for her, before death she had thought she was only at dense souls but with the revelation that her Shinigami blade, Arrancar, and arm one might have been turned into her weapons already at that point. So, her being eaten was an ascension to that last level and forcefully choose which spiritual path would be her base.

"Yeah, the hollows." She stated a little flat, "I went after the Menos Grande as well, on all three levels. This guy was tough but, in the end, I was just a touch more powerful. Didn't get to eat him though, he was saved by this gorilla of a man in white kung Fu pants."

"Kung Fu pants wearing gorilla man?" his frown turned into a cocky little smirk, as if she was tripping on something or telling stories.

All this did was make her gape at him in faux appall and whacked him lightly on the arm, "Yes, a stupidly dresses gorilla man, you twit!" and good measure she kept whacking him until he gave.

"Okay, Okay, Okay! Knock it of already!" the massively taller jerk yelled out soon after. If she could clearly see the light bruising that was coming through his shirt forming from said whacks, she would have hit him in the head for good measure. So, he got lucky.

When he huffed, she knew already he was going to start talking again, "So how did you manage to come back alive and with a body that was biologically all you, even though there is no way it's even possible."

"Stole it from a man that was creating lifeless shells when I was a Vasta Lorde. Slipped my soul inside like I saw the idiot with a bucket hat do but unexpectedly, I felt my soul merge with it and incidentally came back to life. So, it was pure luck that it worked at all."

And in truth, it really was just a massive wave of luck that she had been able to come back as something other than a monstrous, but humanoid, spirit.

From the small smile on the carrot tops lips, she knew he was going to say something stupid.

"I guess the Chiyoko Bullshit Luck strikes again, eh?"

"What's that supposed to mean?!" she huffed at him but she was also right, he did say something stupid.

His arm twitched, as if he was going to move it but when he frowned and put it down, she could tell that whatever it was he didn't want to do it. Probably because he was in such an uncomfortable position. His eyes did glaze over, as his mind strolled down memory lane.

"Well when we were little you had the most amazing luck with things. If we were in a group standing by a buddle when a car drove by you would the only one left dry. One time a potted plant fell out of this old lady's window and would have crushed your head in but you stumbled just in time to dodge it. And those were just a few examples. Tatsuki had seen it happen enough times that she started calling it that and it stuck." His voice was wistful but at the end he laughed.

Seeing her brother truly laugh for the first time since she met him in the police station, Chiyoko took in every line in his face that creased and the twinkle in his eyes. Even when she gained all her memories back, this would be one that she'd treasure.

"I see…I guess I was pretty lucky back then."

But then, without even meaning too, her eyes started to flutter before eventually falling into slumber.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Hey everyone, EKT here and ready to play!

As I am sure you all noticed, i have been out of commission for a couple months and for this i apologize. Between different types of stress, trying to write my own book which is also on pause, and what i like to call 'the great wall of blocking' i just couldn't come up anything to write. Trust me i tried and i ended up scraping them. So in the last few months, i decided to refine my plot line for this series, as well as this story.

I'm sure a few of you have guessed it but in the future i will be including small hints and some not so small hints of events that will be happening in future stories. Part of why i am doing this is because it teases you all into reading until i get to those fun parts but also, so i can keep things straight in my own little noodle. If anyone would like to comment on these parts, i dont mind, but do keep in mind i have a lot of my stories planned out already for this series. Of course, like any author, i get new ideas and like to twist them in so they actually fit my story and if i like anyone's idea i may just do that, with their permission of course.

A lot of readers have asked me if i am going to be returning this story to Percy Jackson universe and to be honest, ABSOLUTELY! i plan to do this twice but please remember that many of these stories take place on the same earth, just in a different time and area with the character taking their role with that life seriously...not Siriusly lol ;)

Also, from this moment onward, i am going to further expand on events that also happened in all past lives. Some will ask, "why i am doing that? i already finished that story." well thats simple. Because i can! No thats not the complete reason and this is. Looking back at my old stories, i realized i glossed over many parts and in one massive example, i totally bailed on actually writing. A few readers will ask which part and ill Say FullMetal Alchemist. At the time this was simply because i lost my ideas for the story and didn't feel like making up a bunch of bullshit for you to read, so i ended it in an instant. Now, i have better ideas.

It will not be happening anytime soon for the Silent Shadow of Amestria but ill give you a hint. It involves Reality jumping, memory erasing (as ive hinted a few times in this story) and future incarnations meddling with past incarnations. I will not say precisely when this will be happening beyond this. She must first devour a Rabbit Goddess with three freaky eyes and also have access to her true animagus form, a chimera.

I would like to leave you all here, just to contemplate everything that i have said, and please do enjoy the story!

I would like to also accredit my fabulous Beta-reading CorreyJeckln for all the aid they has given me though this story. I would also like apologize to them for forgetting to thank them for doing so. So thank you Correy!

Waking up in the morning was most definitely something Chiyoko wanted to do. She was warm and comfortable wrapped up in a pair of strong arms. There was heat radiating against her back and as she let her back relax even more, she burrowed herself into the hard muscles that pressed into the back of her shirt.

"CHIYOKO-CHAN! IT'S TIME TO GET UP!"

Jerking upward, Chiyoko flew out of the arms that had been wrapped around her and latched her clawed fingers into the ceiling. Almost instantly her lethargic mind sprung from sluggish to a wrathful awareness.

Glaring downward, her eyes fell upon the broad figure of her father and the glaringly shiny grin upon his face. And when he looked up at her with an even brighter smile, she felt like her eyes were about to combust into pits of hellfire.

"Chichi no Baka!" she growled out between clench teeth.

Before he could even react, she willed the shadows beneath the man to rise from the floor in a tendril form. It took less than a second for it to wrap around the man before whipping forward, thus throwing him through the window. Glass shattered outward with him and sprinkled down upon the ground as he slammed harshly onto the unforgiving earth.

At the sound of chuckling, Chiyoko took her eyes off the shattered remains of the window and let them fall upon the form of her twin. He was sitting up now, which made the fact that she hadn't noticed simply amazing since his head at least passed the bottom section of the window frame, so he would easily be within her sight.

"Oh, shut up."

Without even bothering to act like she wasn't sticking to the ceiling or had thrown their father out of the window with just his shadow, she wrenched her claws from the plastered ceiling before let her body drop down upon the bed.

As she pushed herself out of their bed, she trudged out of the room. Leaving Ichigo only to laugh all the more.

Shutting the door, Chiyoko let her body relax and felt her anger wash away and be replaced with a sense of content. Internally, when she had thrown her dad out the window, she had been worried but when her brother started to laugh she knew this was something of a normal occurrence.

Shaking her head at the oddness of her family, she made her way down stairs.

Karin was sitting at the table with her nose buried in a football magazine but she still greeted her warmly.

"Morning, Chi-nee-chan." Her eyes didn't leave her magazine but she did give a little wave and her voice told her that her little sister was happy to have her home, if a little unsure of how to act. It brought her smile at the sight.

"Good morning, Imouto-chan."

Following the sounds of scuttering feet and banging dishes, Chiyoko found herself watching her youngest sister fluttering about the kitchen with a delighted aura. It was plain to see to the hollowed teen that Yuzu loved looking after her family. It also left the question of what Chiyoko would do?

She knew that in many of her reincarnations, even just from the negative side, that she was something of a caretaker for her families. Cerilia's entire existence was to create an entire species of life with the unwanted aid of Titans but she had loved her children. Persia devoted her _life_ to keeping both mortals and demigods safe, even if it meant she wouldn't be able to see her children grow up. Elfriede did her best to take care of Edward and Allie, with the help of Grandma Pinako, and even their father after the war, she had also opened her home to them all. With Haruka, well the first 14 years were hell for her but after that she had done her best to help her brother figure out his life. That's not counting the aid she gave the Tendo family, discounting Akane.

So now that she was alive once more, she found that her main purpose had been taken over by her younger sister. If she was of a weaker mind, she be jealous, but it also filled her heart will content as she watched the younger girl.

Smiling softly, Chiyoko turned on the balls of her feet and left her sister to her cooking.

Coming back into the dining room, she wasn't all that surprised to see her father sitting at the table with Karin. As they went back and forth about the girl's favourite sport, Chiyoko realized that it must have been her father that she inherited that particular love from. Although, its hard to imagine that the Shinigami had such an interest. Then again, he was a doctor, so who knew what crazy things he was into.

"Yo" a nonchalant voice called out, getting all their attention.

Chiyoko though had to stifle giggles.

Ichigo was still dressed in shorts and a tank top but his hair was soaking wet and plastered down to the sides of his head. It made him look like a drowned rat.

Breakfast was something of a quick affair. Since Ichigo was in High School now, he had to leave even earlier than the rest of them, so he tended to inhale his food before rushing off to class. His hoodie did quirk her curiosity though, especially when he saw her intense stare and lit up like a Christmas tree. Sadly, nobody would tell her what the story behind it was though.

Once Yuzu and Karin took off for their own schooling, Chiyoko found herself sitting with just her Father and her long-time friend, Thalia the Wolf. The Later of whom had jumped up into one of the vacant seats.

Feeling her body language become more refined and her gaze callous, she placed her elbows down upon the table and rested her chin on the fold of her hands.

"So…" her voice ringing with vapidity, "what is it that you plan to do, father?"

She watched as the physically older man, although with his Shinigami past it was possible that he was still older than her, tense at her tone and shift in body language. It did peak a small part in the back of her mind at the occurrence but for now, she just filed it away to look at in the distant future.

As he shook his head, she sensed his Spiritual Energy calm down just a touch, and finally he answered.

"Well…with the help of the police we can have you labelled as living again, it will be even better with a non-family member doctor backing it up. So today, we'll being going to Karakura Hospital to get you a full medical check-up. Beyond that…I guess we can have you return to school?"

Nodding along in understanding, Chiyoko let her mind wonder a touch at the points her father had made.

Yes, it would be nice to be among the living again, and returning to school was just a simple part of it. However, it also made her task of spying upon her own brother and the Gotei 13 a touch easier if she was there all the time. But it also made her suspicious of just what doctor she would be seeing. They had to have some form of spiritual power to do these tests on her, seeing as she was just a spirit fused with a Gigai that somehow matches her living bodies DNA.

The real question was simple, how much did she tell this doctor of her last 6 years as a hollow and how deep should she let him run these tests?

After all, Urahara had used her situation to further his own goals, so what's to say this doctor wouldn't try the same?

Walk up to Karakura High School was strange for Ichigo.

All around him, his fellow classmates were giving him this strange look. A few of them were even blushing ever so slightly.

Sighing softly, he self-consciously stuffed his hands inside the pockets of his hoodie. Why he was wearing it today of all days? Well… even with the sudden re-emergence of his twin, it made him feel closer to her and he'd be damned if he let something as stupid as the school's dress code keep him from wearing it any longer.

Maybe that was why people were looking at him strangely?

Somehow, he felt like today was going to be a massive drag.

Meanwhile, not far from Ichigo side, floated Atsuko.

Ever since Ichigo had started training with Mr. Ishida, she had felt a small trickle of spiritual power flowing into her from Ichigo. Actually, that was something of a lie. Even before his training she had felt an uncontrolled wave of power washing over her, pressing upon and being absorbed by her soul, but it was different now. It was calmer, more controlled, and now she could sense it only flowing into Ichigo's close friends.

The change in her friend's demeanour even since he finally awakened what he called his Quincy heritage was amazing. His body alone had refined just a tad and when he moves, he was slightly more graceful. He didn't slouch as much, nor did he brood. Of course, she new why all of this was.

He finally felt like he had taken an actually step in being able to protect his family and find his lost sister.

Chiyoko Kurosaki.

The girl baring that name was such a focal point for two of her friends, at least those that can actually see her, that sometimes it felt like she was just a replacement. She knew it wasn't true but being dead, she was sort of self-conscious.

However, over the last year of being Ichigo's ever present tail and sometimes peeping tom, she had learned a lot about the girl. The biggest thing that had struck her was when Tatsuki had shown her the memorial for Chiyoko and her mother.

Not so much the girl's appearance, although she distinctly remembered having known someone with an arm remarkably similar to Chiyoko's from when she was alive, but the trinkets that lay beneath the poster.

The necklace and bracelet in particular.

It was foggy, frustratingly so, but she remembered from her times alive during World War Two of a very girly boy with a metal arm and mismatched eyes that had befriended her with items close in appearance to these.

She remembered the boy had a pendant made of the same silver-blue stone that shone like the moon encased in a shiny steel gear. Each of the small prongs on the gear had a small gemstone that practically glowed in colour and had a small snake curled around the part that fused the gear to the gem. It was different but pretty in its own way.

These items that belonged to Chiyoko were…. Comparable to the ones owned by that boy but they lacked something to them. What it was, she wasn't sure but she knew it was important in some fashion.

And now Chiyoko had returned to the Kurosaki family.

A slight shiver ran down her spiritual body. From what she had seen, Chiyoko was a nice girl, although she seemed to flip like a coin in personality at times, but she could level that with the fact that she had been killed by a hollow and just returned to life. So, there was bound to be some upsets.

That however wasn't what made her tremble.

Last night, when the family had all just returned, Atsuko had hidden inside the wall just beside the entranceway to the memorial room and watched as the family interacted. And what she saw had frightened her ever so slightly.

Chiyoko at times would stare at her family with love but the next it was like something more apathetic came to the forefront and would stare at them as if they were just insects just waiting to be squished beneath her shoes.

And that wasn't even counting the feel of her spiritual power.

It was heavy, heavier than anything she had felt since her death. Almost like a Goddess had been placed within the shell of a mortal. However, it felt…dark…and light…almost fractured if she had to name it. And even then, she couldn't even tell how many parts there were. Each of the 3 alignments seemed to divide in half to make 6 segments but even then, she could also feel as if those three pieces were just part of one part of 3 total pieces that had two-thirds unaligned.

It was confusing to the spirit girl. Especially seeing as how it made no sense that she could fell these fractures within her friend's sister.

Wrapping her arms around herself, Atsuko looked at her friend as he walked into the grounds of his school.

Even after one day, not even 12 hours actually, since the return of his twin, Ichigo already looked as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders. No longer making him hunched over under the weight of an unseen force. The frown lines on his face had lightened ever so slightly and there was even a hint of a smile upon his light pink lips.

She watched as his warm brown eyes scanned the crowds around them before he sighed one of his heavy sighs and stuffed his hands into his pocket.

This also got something of a reaction out of the teenage spirit.

All around her, she could see her friend's peers looking at the handsome blonde. Some in wonder, a few in fear, but many of them were looking at him with desire. Something inside her wiggled in distraught at the mere thought of any of them getting with him… like _that._

Sadly, she also knew, that as a spirit, she wouldn't likely get him either. It was frustrating, and at times it felt like her heart was being ripped out from her chest, but she was okay with it as long as he was healthy and happy.

Sighing to herself, she came to a standstill, letting him walk farther into the school without her, and when he finally walked within the cool concrete walls of Karakura High, she turned and started making her way to that weird candy shop she had found a few months back.

" _Maybe Uru-chan will be there? She's been rather busy lately with that cat teaching her how to use that dagger of hers."_

Sitting upon the firm and rather uncomfortable padded table, Chiyoko watched as a silver haired man with glasses came into her room. His eyes were stern and slightly cold but she could still see the curiosity and care that welled up beneath his eyes.

He also reeked of spiritual power.

Not nearly as much as she had but even still, its was mightily impressive for a human to have so much power held within their body. It even had slightly different feel to it than a normal human, kind of similar to Ichigo's and that one she had felt all those years ago when she was just an Adjuchas. The power felt almost like what she believed finely woven silk felt like under the touch of a finger. Soft to the touch and smoother than water and yet strong as steel.

In the darker pits of her mind, she wondered if his soul tasted different than a regular human's but she quickly ripped that thought to shreds. Being the Mother of Humanity, she didn't think it would be proper of her to kill a descendent.

"Good morning, Ms. Kurosaki. May I say, it's a great delight to see you amongst the living once more." His voice matched his eyes almost seamlessly but she could tell that he was even more happy than his emotions would show her.

Smiling at the man, she subconsciously flashed her fangs at him, but he didn't so much as twitch in response.

"Thank you, Doctor Ishida…"

"Please, call me Uncle Ryuken. You are, after all, my adopted sister's daughter."

Staring at the man before her, she nodded slowly in acceptance. He didn't seem so bad right off the start, she would give him the benefit of the doubt…for now at least.

"Okay, Uncle Ryuken."

"Now, we are just going to do some test to see how well your soul is adjusting to your new body. I am going to doing a regular physical, just to make sure everything is working properly, and do a soul scan. We'll find out anything else after that."

Steeling her mind, Chiyoko nodded and let him get started.

Time seemed to almost slip by for the hollowed girl. Impassively, she watched as her Uncle Ryuken drew blood, shaved off skin cells, flashed lights in her eyes, examined both her genitals and then had her fill a cup with her…male fluids.

It was strange and by his unworried hums, he hadn't found anything bad yet.

Of course, it all changed when his hands lit up in a bright blue coloured Reiatsu before he pressed it just above her heart. He didn't waste any time funnelling his power into my body, letting it seep into every nook and cranny of her being. Although that didn't stop the shudder that went through her body at the invasive feeling. It didn't help that his hands were cold either.

Every once in a while, he would pause in his searching and write something down on his notepad before going back to his search.

When his power finally started to recede, she noted mentally all the places she felt gaps within her body. One in both of her hands, although the one in her left felt that it was plugged by some otherworldly power. Otherwise, the entirety of her right arm had a substantially smaller power flow through it, unlike the rest of her body. Almost like it was muddled or incomplete.

Most definitely fascinating but also irksome.

"Well, from what I can tell, you are physically healthy and your mind felt stable, although if put under too much stress it could fracture and you could splinter into different mental aspects. So be careful when under stress." He closed his eyes for a moment, as if to regain his bearings, before continuing, "Also, your spiritual power is fragmented. This isn't necessarily bad but it also means that as your powers grow and evolve into their next stage, your powers will attempt to merge into one power. With your Hollowfied soul, it will be slightly easier for your powers to merge than say your brothers. Hollows absorb the power of one source and make it their own, so seeing as you have multiple forms of power under your own control, it will be easier for it to fuse since it's just cut to pieces."

As he talked, Chiyoko's mind was more focused upon what she remembered seeing in her soul chamber. That status screen had mentioned something of a transcended soul but only when she completely mastered her arrancar and Shinigami powers. Even then she would need something to fuse her swords together in, just to get that final blade.

So that meant that Chiyoko had a _lot_ of training and meditating to do in the future. Not to mention that she'd have to establish connections with her Shinigami power and Hollowed powers. But…how would she even go about it?

"Id recommend asking your father to teach you about the powers you gained from him." Blinking, she looked at the silver haired man with her head tilted to the side, it must have been funny to him because he gave a small chuckle before going on. "Isshin was once a Shinigami but after an incident while he was in the world of the living, he decided to stay. Eventually he started dating your mother and conceived you. I say he can teach you because with your hollowfication and return to life, you reopened the path for your latent Shinigami powers. I can feel both types of spiritual power flowing beneath your skin, although the hollow energy is grossly overpowering the Shinigami energy. And as long as these two energies are not in balance, you will find yourself ravaged by extreme mood swings."

" _Well…that would explain a lot"_ was all that passed through her mind for a few seconds.

And it truly did. It explained the energy she felt flowing within her father when he picked her up at the station last night and also the strange mix of energies she had felt within her brother. Then, seeing as her mother was the adoptive sibling to this man, it wasn't that far of a stretch that the reason she was brought into his family was because she shared the same power as him. Which would also explain why Ichigo felt slightly similar to this man and their father, although it didn't quiet explain why he had a touch of wildness to him like she did.

"Okay…I can understand why that would cause issues. But can I ask a question?" at his small nod, she smiled, "What have you been told of my situation? If you know that I am a hollowed soul, then what else do you know?"

As she spoke, she watched and noted that he leaned back into his chair before crossing his legs and glancing at his notes again. He didn't fidget like most people probably would under her gaze and that made her want to smirk. It was so entertaining to see how people react to her questions. Usually, from what she remembered at least, in her past lives the people she would talk to would tense up in one form or another before finally admitting to something or giving an excuse. This Ryuken Ishida was definitely a man after her own heart.

When he finally seemed to gather everything he would be willing to say, he quickly talked in a no-nonsense manner.

"According to what you have told your family, that when you were Hollowfied, you lost your memory but also, that as you advance in power you started to regain them. However, the only ones you have been able to retain are the more…. dark memories. It's my theory that when you start venturing into your Shinigami heritage that your positive memories will return as well."

Staring it her Uncle, Chiyoko couldn't stop the unquestionably wicked smile that came to her as she took in his words.

" _Oh yes, I definitely like this one."_

Pacing heavily across the living room floor, Thalia let her mind wonder.

Yesterday night had been tense when Chiyoko had returned to the land of the living, even more so when she had actually returned to Kurosaki home.

Emotions were running rampant and more than a few of them were beyond stressed, at least the adults had been. But then Chiyoko had teased Yuzu in a light-hearted way and the floodgates were released. Thalia still refused to admit to herself that she had cried later that night as she cuddled into Isshin. Of course, he had cried himself hoarse as well, but he had also known that Thalia hadn't seen Chiyoko in over 50 years, so he wasn't going to fight the wolf female when she wanted someone to hold her.

It helped that she was almost as long as him when she laid down, so if she wanted to, she could pin him to the bed and not let him up unless he wanted to be punished by her teeth and claws or her lightning.

And now, well into the day, she was waiting for the news of their visit to see Ryuken Ishida at the hospital. But she was getting tense and that's something that wasn't good for her, nor the electrical systems around her. She remembered plenty of times in her life when she fried everything within a three-block radius of her house as a child. Then again, he mother had been a completely selfish bitch.

Shaking her head in frustration, fur swooshing in the air as she did so, she forced her mind to go back on topic.

Chiyoko… was different, there was no other way to say it.

Back when they were in Amestria, Elfriede had been a doting sister that argued with her twin but did her best to help those around her with compassion. From what she saw last night and then earlier this morning, Chiyoko was cracked. The sudden change in personality and emotions spoke of deep mental trauma.

Something had happened to her while she was physically dead for these last 6 years. And she had a feeling that she knew what.

When Thalia had first been turned into a wolf pup all them years ago by Zeus, those first six to eight months had been tough on her. Her mind had regressed to that of a young child and so had her understanding. However, over the coming years and those in Amestria, she started remembering the times that Persia had spoken to her under the cover of night where no one would be able to judge her. The ones of her past as Cerilia Atu and all the things she had to do, not just for the titans because they demanded them of her but for her children, so she could take care of them.

Years of mental and sexual abuse can creep up on people. Add in all the harassment that she faced as Persia simply for being herself as a child and you have a nice melting pot of dark memories. Sure, Elfriede had admitted that when she thought back on it, she could have done better of how she interacted with the people around her but at the time, she hadn't known how back then. That wasn't even counting the few memories that the pair had pertaining to the War against Father the Homunculus.

Now, she didn't know what had happened during Chiyoko's life as Haruka Saotome, but if it followed a similar train, then she was sure that it was bad.

But when her long-time best friend had revealed the other night that she had no memories beyond those that were negative, Thalia hadn't been able to stop a shudder from rolling along her spine. Roughly, one hundred- and seventy-years' worth of bad memories and nothing good to counteract them. Plus, whatever deeds she had to do while trapped in the form of a spiritual monster.

Its no wonder the girl would shatter in some way.

But the seamless switch between loving and compassionate to apathetic and iniquity, simply scared her.

She could sense it, something dark festering within her friend's mind. But there was also something overwhelmingly untainted taking up home in there as well. What it could all mean, she wasn't sure but she knew…she _knew_ that in time her friend would balance out and come back to who she truly was.

Pushing herself from those dark thoughts on their current situation, Thalia let her mind go over the aesthetics of her best friend.

In all her lifes, Chiyoko had hated being pale. She always felt people saw her as something stereotypically towards the strange or in Persia's case, being the Daughter of Hades. So, in her free time, she always took the time to make sure she got a tan.

Now though, she was as white as her own fur. Blinding white and in extreme contrast to the black markings that rested upon her face, the red marking upon her left breast, and now her dark as pitch arm. It was unsettling to see her change like that but something told Thalia that this change would be a permeant one. Her friend would now look gothic most of her continued existence and to be honest, it didn't fit the image she had built up over the years. But from what she saw in the last 12 hours, it was fitting the…dark and mischievous image that she was portraying.

Although, if she looked back, Chiyoko had been like that as well in the past but the new look and what she figured was a fractured mind made her a touch warier.

" _ **That's enough! Chiyoko is my best friend…no my Sister! I'm not going to be suspicious of everything she does because she is broken and will take time to heal."**_

Twirling around, she marched through the backdoor that the Kurosakis always keep open for her, before dashing off towards the hospital.

She was going to see her sister and drag her off to talk, whether she want to or not.

Walking into class, Ichigo found his group of friends all sitting around their section of desks that were pressed up along the wall with the windows.

Tatsuki was standing beside Orihime with a smirk upon her lips and her first raised high, wrapped in bandages. When he saw her, Ichigo paused for a moment wondering if he should tell her that Chiyoko had been found last night and returned home to them. But when he thought about it, he realized that if he did that he'd have to wait until the others were far away to not draw attention. He didn't like keeping something like that from the black-haired martial artist but he also knew that she would gladly ditch the rest of school to go find her best friend, which would be pointless since his sister was supposed to be in the hospital pretty much all day getting all sorts of tests done on her.

Chizuru, on the other hand, was bent over at the waist with her hands clutching her head with a large bruise forming on top. For a moment he wondered if he should be worried, but then he saw the light blush on Orihime's face and knew that the proud and open lesbian of the group must have gotten her morning groping of the blonde girl.

Mizuiro was standing firm and tall, well as tall as guy can at 154cm, with his cell phone open in his palm as his fingers dance across the keyboard. Internally, Ichigo couldn't understand how this guy was a playboy for women twice his age. And he got them too. Mizuiro was probably the most experienced out of their entire group of friends when it came to dating, although giving how fast he goes from woman to woman, he must not keep an interest in them for long.

Then there was Keigo Asano…yeah, he didn't know how to explain this guy. Ichigo had meet Keigo back during the entrance exam into Karakura High over a year ago, along with Mizuiro, when they sat next to each other. The guy had stared at him in horror for a couple minutes before shakily starting his exam. Then, when he had noticed Keigo get stuck on a problem in the history section about the Kamakura period of 1185-1333 AD, he whispered the answer to him before acting like it never happened and carried on with his own exam. He hadn't seen the kid until the first day of school and almost instantly the idiot practically jumped him in a hug while repeatedly thanking him for helping him with his exam. Apparently, that one question was what made it possible for him to get into Karakura High. Should have just ignored the guy and then his mornings would have been peaceful. Oh well, live and learn.

Anyway, Keigo was standing there with his typical slouch, dishevelled appearance, and hands shoved into his pockets. Even from his place near the door, Ichigo could tell he was complaining about either Mizuiro's love life or that Ichigo was taking forever to arrive.

The boy was like a fungus. He just kind of grew on you and no matter how many times you burn his ass with bleach, or in Ichigo's case smash him into the ground for being clingy, he just got back up and kept coming at you.

Next to them was Ichigo's best friend, Sado Yasutora or otherwise known as Chad the Friendly Giant. Chad was of Mexican-Japanese lineage but that didn't bother him. He worked a number of part-time jobs around town and even though it was against school rules to have a job of any sort, the school allowed it for him since they knew that he had to take care of himself financially because he had no more family alive. More than once everyone in their group had offered him a room at their own place free of charge but Chad was pretty independent and stubborn.

Off to the side of his friend group, Ichigo spotted his cousin Uryu Ishida. Ever since their meeting a year or so ago, Ishida had calmed down a lot from his high and mighty attitude but he still didn't like associating with Ichigo's friends but that was okay with the blonde, he wouldn't force him to do something he didn't wish to do. Well maybe, depending on what it was.

Seeing how Ishida did come over every other day to practice with him in hand-to-hand combat, he should probably tell the Quincy about the return of his twin sister and her circumstances in how her soul had changed. Of course, he'd do it when they were almost to the house and when only the adults were there with Chiyoko so they could stop him from doing something stupid. The teen did have a massive grudge against hollows for the death of his grandfather after all.

Sighing, he pulled his hands from his pockets to fix his bag and headed over to his friends.

He could tell almost instantly when they saw him.

Three…two…ONE!

"ICHIIIIIGOOOOOO!"

The loud, although masculine, yell of his name was followed by the sight of Keigo lunging at him with his arms wide in preparation for a hug and a bright smile upon his lips. As the airborne boy came closer, Ichigo contemplated what to do. He could dodge and the idiot will land face-first into the floor or he could just kick the dumbass in the face and watch as he flipped ass-over-end before slamming harshly into the floor. Both would be satisfying to do or he could be nice and let the idiot hug him for once. That last one would probably confuse him even more than the other two but Ichigo really didn't feel like getting hugged by the happy-go-lucky teenager.

Humming in thought, he quickly made his decision.

As Keigo neared in his airborne leap, Ichigo mentally calculated when it would be best to launch his kick. When the boy was no more than just over a meter away, Ichigo let his leg snap upward. Ever so briefly there was solid meaty thwacking sound as his shoes smacked into underside of the brunette's chin before the heavy force of the blow flipped the boy like a coin backwards into the air. He spun in place for a short while before gravity seemed to catch up to him and he slammed down onto the ground. His arms and legs were tangled with the desks that he had landed in between, definitely had luck on his side because landing on those metal bars of their desks that connected with the chairs would have killed.

The only sound for a second was a long painfilled groan of the downed teenager before sound seemed to rush back into reality as all of Ichigo's classmates returned to whatever they were doing. Afterall, Keigo getting the stuffing beaten out of him by Ichigo was a daily occurrence.

"Nice kick Ichigo!" Tatsuki practically cheered for him as her fist thrusted upward and she sent a vicious smirk at Keigo. It was no secret that Tatsuki loved seeing Keigo in pain, especially when Keigo had tried to look up her skirt multiple times over the last year.

"Morning."

And then, almost as one, the group blinked and turned to stare at him.

"What?"

And they just keep staring. None seemed to be able to break out of whatever trance they were in or unwilling. It wasn't the first time, it usually happened to some of his classmates when they don't really know him but it was rare for his own friend group to do it.

"What are you all staring at!?" Apparently, that got their attention as pretty much all of them jumped at his sudden yelling.

He watched as they look at one another, trying to figure out what to say or who should say it. Finally, Chad was elected to be the one to speak.

"You're smiling." The rich baritone voice rang out and for a second, Ichigo wasn't sure he heard right. It didn't help that Chads words sounded somewhere between a question and a statement.

Now that he thought about it, he had been getting some weird reactions from people all around town this morning. He had at first thought that it was because he was actually wearing the hoodie he had gotten for his birthday but now, it seemed that it might have been because of something else.

" _Why would it be so strange that I'm actually smiling?"_

" _ **Because you don't normally smile in public, Ichigo. You grin and smirk around everyone but your family. Its only natural for them to be shocked."**_

Rolling his eyes, Ichigo dismissed that wise sounding voice in his head. Afterall, it had been 2 months since he started hearing the damn thing once he awakened his Quincy powers.

" _Whatever"_

Turning his attention to his friends, he huffed in annoyance before marching over to his desk that Tatsuki had been using as a seat before sitting down. It took a minute for them to realize he wasn't going to respond before shifting awkwardly, only to then decide it would just be better to just act like it never happened and start chatting again.

Something told Ichigo that today was going to be _extremely_ slow.

Walking through the halls of Karakura Hospital, Chiyoko moved at a leisurely pace with her father beside her. They had been here most of the day and she was extremely bored.

Due to the cover story that she was using, Chiyoko had to go through a bunch of tests throughout the day and none of them were remotely fun. Turns out those first few tests that uncle Ryuken had done were just the extremely basic ones. She had CAT scans, MRIs, and X-rays done in short order; then it was off to the hospital's psychologist.

She had spent a few hours talking to the rather dispirited fellow about her time in capture. She spoke of the days the scientists took samples from her body of all kinds after each experimentation was done on her, monitoring the changes. Then there were the fights she had to engage in on an almost daily occurrence. They even touched upon when the wickedly evil people chopped of her tail and ears before forcing her to grow normal human ears.

Throughout the entire discussion a part of her mind was laughing with unhinged glee as she spun a story for the weak fouls to chase until finally, they will file her story under cold case in the bureau's filing cabinet.

Of course, it helped that she was twisting events from her time as a hollow when she mercilessly slaughtered thousands of other hollows and then her year long visit to Kisake Urahara's basement. Wasn't the nicest thing to do by far but it kept her safe, so she didn't feel _too_ guilty about it.

However, all those thoughts came to a screeching halt when the pair stepped outside of the hospital.

There, no more than four meters away from the entrance, sat Thalia. There was a hard determination locked in those electric blue eyes but also something she couldn't quite read.

Neither female moved for some time, not until Chiyoko felt something press her forward from behind her back. Given the shape of it, she was pretty sure it was her fathers hand giving her a nudge.

Sighing aloud, she nodded in acceptance before walking over to her long-time friend.

As she moved towards her friend, a distant memory flashed before her eyes.

~FBS~

 _Life with Genma Saotome was hell on earth, especially for one Haruka Saotome._

 _She was more different than anything the balding martial artist could have ever though of. From her missing limbs down to her dual genitalia. So, in respect to these differences, the thief did what he always did…he put it down._

 _Not in death; no, he needed her to carry all their things, be used as an additional piece of cattle to sell and then steal back to feed his grotesque appetite, and use her as an example of just who her brother didn't want to be._

 _Today had been no different than any other. She would wake up long before her big brother Ranma and their father to first scavenge for food, usually fruits, nuts, different mushrooms, and sometimes meats. Once this was done, she had to prepare breakfast for them before going about cleaning all of their dirty clothing. It wouldn't be so bad, if Genma didn't open his mouth._

 _Sitting a few meters off to the side of their camp by the riverside, Haruka shivered as the icy gust of wind blew across her bare bum that was practically made of welts that were already an assortment of colours, from yellow to dark purple almost black. Her hand was shivering as she dipped it down inside the cold rapid waters, doing her absolute best to wash the stains from Genma's training Gi with her one hand._

 _Her lips were turning an unhealthy shade of blue-purple from the cold, she just hoped that she could get her own clothes clean and dried soon so that she could at least have some protection from the imminent winter weather._

 _She was really wishing that the 'first human' perk would bring the resistance to the elements along with it when she moved on to a new body. Sadly, she had quickly realized that it was something sort of restarted at the beginning of every life. Attributes of each life would be…'held for later' within her soul to affect her body._

 _However, she theorized that the reason why certain things were carrying over was because they were actually be preserved and built upon for when she returned to her life as Persia. It was the only reason she could think of for why Cerilia Atu and Persia Jackson had to meld as one before her death. This way, when her soul finally did return to the body of the demigoddess, they would sort of crystalize until she is truly beyond what current humans are capable of reaching._

 _At least, this was what she thought would happen to the physical abilities like strength, speed, dexterity, and Agility. Mental abilities were apart of the soul, as is energy manipulation technics seeing as the soul is just a combination of Mental energy and Cosmic energy, or so she believed._

" _ **Boy**_ _! Where's the food!" a harsh voice bellowed._

 _Sighing to herself, Haruka forced herself to stand and move towards their campsite, only pausing momentarily to drape Genma's wet Gi over her own almost dry clothing that rested upon her backpack._

 _Looking at her father, she could see the disdain gleaming in his eyes as he looked her body over. His mouth pulled back in an ugly looking sneer and his words came out with acrimony soaking each syllable._

" _What did I tell you, you little freak! You are not to show your abnormality to anyone, let alone around me!"_

 _Knowing it would be worse for her if she said nothing and just ignored the tub of lard, she quickly bowed to him in apology before rushing over to the firepit and stroked the embers to get the fire ablaze once more. Seeing as it was warming up, she quickly dug into the small bag that was a quick hop away from the fire just to make sure it didn't lite in their sleep, she dug out the bowls that Genma had her and Ranma steal a few weeks ago. They weren't the most beautiful she had ever seen before but they were better than when Genma had them using takeout boxes that he had quickly grabbed after a dine and dash._

 _Once the food was reheated under her careful eye, she lifted the lid and almost groaned at the smell of sautéed mushrooms, peppers, and onions with a couple pieces of beef strips. Making sure to portion the food as she was told in the past, she handed to bowls to her family along with chopsticks. Genma by far had the larges portion with about 2/3rds of the original meal while Ranma was to have a total 3/4ths of what was left and she'd get that final forth. So essentially, she was living on maybe 2 half full bites of food each meal, if not a day._

 _And then, she had to look away in disgust as Genma basically inhaled his food before initiating his 'speed training' with her brother by forcing the boy to guard his food and devour it as he dodged the fat man that called himself their father._

 _Thankfully, she was sitting on the opposite side of the fire than them, so her food was relatively safe this time._

 _Seeing as there 'speed training' usually turned into actually training, Haruka went about cleaning up the dishes once more before stowing them away again in the proper bag and went back to her cleaning of their clothing._

 _Picking up Genma's training Gi, she mentally shuddered as it meant that her was practicing with her brother naked and a naked Genma is horror inducing, before forcing herself to go back to washing the dirty clothes in the icy waters once more._

 _This went on for a while as the sounds of groans, screams of frustration, and the sound of smacking flesh against flesh filled the area around them. Once she finished an article of clothing, she'd quickly take it over to the owner's pack while sneakily using the moment to warm up by the still lite fire before going back to her daunting task._

 _With each piece finished, and once dried, they would find themselves draped over the body of own of the Saotome males. This had originally been something that irritated her seeing as she worked so hard to get those clothes clean, only for them to get them soaked in sweat right after but after one or five rather sadistic beating at the hand of her father, she learned to stop complaining about it._

 _Once everything was packed up and the fire extinguished, the trio took off._

 _It must have been around 3pm when 'it' happened._

 _Shortly beforehand, Genma had decided that Ranma and her would spar to gage each other's skill level. Of course, it was rather stupid seeing as Genma didn't really teach her but beat the life out of her, forcing her to adapt around his swings when she could. Usually the only way she learned the Family Style was by watching when her brother was taught or when they spared, like now._

 _They had been going for at least an hour, which wasn't bad to her seeing as she wasn't even four yet while her brother was just around six. But Genma kept pushing them to continue._

 _He believed that by pushing past your physically abilities, you can force them to go higher. And her was right, but only when the students of this method were being fed properly and this was a slow build in limit. Genma however, wanted instantaneous ruptures of one's limits, making them seemingly increase in leaps and bounds._

 _Unfortunately, it would work in later years but as children it was not remotely possible as their bodies were still trying to develop._

 _Their training was put on hold however when a rather vicious sounding growl rolled across the grounds until it reached their ears._

 _Pausing at the familiar sound, Haruka's head whipped around in glee. Instantly, a bright smile spread upon her face at the sight of the large Pure white wolf with black markings on its forehead and deep electric blue coloured eyes._

 _Not even bothering to say anything, Haruka dashed towards her long-time friend with a scream of pure joy. All Haruka could think at that moment was that she really wanted to hug Thalia and cuddle into her warm fur to escape from this harsh reality of her current life and the bitter cold that was seeping into her bones._

 _Sadly, that didn't happen._

 _She couldn't have been no more than fifteen steps away from her friend, when all of a sudden, Genma all but appeared behind her friend with a large rock clutched between his meaty fingers. Time seemed to slow down for her as the vicious grin appeared on her father's face before he swung his arms down, rock aimed straight for her friend's skull._

 _She wanted to scream. Yell for Thalia to use her lightning to shock…or even kill Genma, but no sound escaped her lips. It was like some force of nature was holding her vocal cords hostage and refusing to let go._

 _When the rock finally reached Thalia's head, there was a large cracking sound before her friend seamlessly dropped to the earth as if the strings holding her body up was cut. But it didn't stop there._

 _Genma drop with the white wolf, swinging the rock down again and again and again. And with each solid blow, Haruka watched as her long-time friend's skull was slowly being forced into a blood-soaked pile of blood, bone, and brain matter. There were even little clumps of it dangling from the rock that still sat within Genma's hands above his head. She watched as one would fall from the piece of stone and spatter across the evil fat man's freshly cleaned Gi. She watched as the blood and gore rolled down his clothing and arms but he never reacted._

 _She was trembling, far to in shock to even think of using the soul bound items that had just appeared upon her body. Her mind was numb and her body cold._

 _Thalia was gone…and she didn't know what to do._

 _Dropping to the frozen ground beneath her, she started sobbing heavily into the earth in hope that somehow, what she had just seen was nothing but a nightmare._

 _She could have been sitting there for seconds or hours sobbing, she really couldn't tell._

 _In the recesses of her mind, she felt a warm but wet piece of clothe being thrown across her body. And as her eyes gazed ahead in a blank fashion, she saw a bloody chunk of brain matter and skull fragments fall to the ground before her eyes with a small splatting sound._

" _Be sure to clean this up,_ boy! _"_

 _~FBE~_

As the memory finished fluttering across her mind, Chiyoko felt her throat seize up and tears well up in her eyes. Her legs locked up on her before she sank down upon the hard asphalt.

Instantly, her long-time friend was right before her, gently nuzzling her face and giving her soft licks of her tongue. But nothing would chase these feelings away from her. The horror of what Genma did to her friend, and the vindictive desire to find that vile man and shove her dagger down his throat until the blade pierced through his throat from the inside and rip it out, clench through her heart.

Dark energy was pouring off her, making humans and animals alike flee the immediate area in fear of being devoured from what felt like a malevolent force of nature.

"Chiyoko! You have to stop!" a voice called out to her but it sounded like it was coming from a great distance away. By this point, her eyes had glazed over and the sight of her friend's dead corpse superimposed itself on the living body of said friend right before her. She could still see the red streams of blood as it spread out upon the limp grassy surface. Coagulating in small pools and the thick coopery tang of lifeblood filling her nose.

And then, out of nowhere, a massive stream of electricity was surging through her body. A high, almost inhuman, scream of despair and pain tore through her throat before the electricity forced her body into unconsciousness.

As Isshin walked out of the hospital with Chiyoko, he wondered just what he should do for the rest of the day. It was drawning on four in the afternoon, which meant that his other children would be out of school by now and either on their way home or already there. Ichigo had probably told Tatsuki that Chiyoko had been found and returned to them, so they were both probably waiting for them at home.

However, Chiyoko also didn't have any clothing at home, actually she didn't have anything at home. So that was something they would definitely have to get. Maybe he could have the girls and Tatsuki go out for a shopping trip. He distinctly remembered Masuki loving to do such a thing with Chiyoko when she was younger or even with her own adult friends when they all had a free day. Something about Women being able to have fun and not feeling rushed by impatient men that are with them.

That plan was shot to hell in an instantly when his eldest daughter stopped in her tracks not far from the hospital entrance way.

Following the path of her eyes, Isshin felt his eyes fall upon the form of Thalia. The Wolf Woman, seeing as there was no way she was a girl anymore, was staring at Chiyoko with determination and sisterly affection.

From what little he could sense of her Spiritual Power, Chiyoko was extremely nervous at the sudden appearance of her long-time friend and completely confused on the second emotion that was held within Thalia's electric blue eyes.

In his own mind, he remembered a time years ago, back when the kids were just little tykes. Chiyoko was always the one that could sense one's emotions the easiest, almost as if it was written upon their foreheads. So, seeing her standing there in confusion was jarring for the retired Shinigami and all it did was remind Isshin just how damaged and incomplete his daughter had become on that night all those years ago.

Making up his mind, he gently pressed his hand into the small of her back, forcing her to move forward. There was a touch of hesitation in her step but it didn't last long before she sighed aloud and started moving towards the wolf.

To Isshin, he couldn't stop the smile that came upon him as his daughter made her way to reconnect with her eternal companion. It still baffled the doctor that his daughter was mentally 170 something years old and had lived multiple different kinds of lifes in different points in time and in one different reality. It contradicted what he knew about the reincarnation system, but if what Thalia had told him in the past was true, then the soul of his daughter was also the soul of humanities mother.

And that was an overwhelming thought.

To think that his little Chiyoko had been created well over ten thousand years ago as the first human. In her own way, she was also the founder of the Shinigami, hollows, and Quincies. After all, without humans none of them would have been created.

So, as he watched her walk a couple meters away from him, he beamed in pride.

That, however, was quickly washed away when he saw Chiyoko freeze in step before her spiritual pressure started to burst forth from her control. Almost instantly, he felt what felt like sixty tons of solid steel was pressing down upon his shoulders, making his breath quicken, his heart skips a beat, and his bones groan in distress.

That wasn't even the end of it though.

One second, Chiyoko was standing in place, and in the next she was dropped to her knees as dark green, almost pitch black, flames enveloped her form. The pressure upon his body multiplied exponentially, dropping down upon the hard asphalt with a grunt.

But that wasn't even the end either, a sight that would forever be seared into his mind burst forth.

The flames washed away from his little girl, almost like water rolling off her and flowing across the earth. Streams of flame branch off her, turning everything beneath its touch to ash.

This had to stop. If it didn't then her power would wash over everything within her range and leave nothing left. He didn't know what this was but it was beyond the mortal realm, of that he was sure.

Gathering up all the air her could, he put all his strength in to one shout before passing out from the strain.

"Chiyoko! You have to stop!"

The second Thalia saw her sister pause, her eyes glaze over, and tears form in her eyes she knew something bad was going to happen.

It didn't happen often, but every once in a while, as Persia merged with Cerilia, she'd have small breakdowns from the memories she'd receive before being enveloped in a mutli-coloured flame that turned everything around it to ash. They had figured out, with the help of her gamer charm, that each year of life she lived added another meter of distance to how far her flames could travel before stopping and with that same year, they would increase in intensity.

It had taken a few daring tests on their part but they had eventually figured out that anything bound to Persia's soul could not be destroyed by her soul fire, or Aura as Cerilia called it.

So, when Chiyoko sank down to her knees and began sobbing, Thalia knew it was going to happen. And then, not even two seconds later, blackish dark green flames erupted from around her friend's body.

She could feel the pressure being pressed down upon the world around them and if she didn't put a stop to this soon that the immediate area would be erased from existence.

Carefully, Thalia called upon her own cloak of Lightening and without thinking twice about it, she sank her teeth into the hard as diamonds skin of Chiyoko Kurosaki. Thankfully, due to what she was pretty sure was their soul bond, her teeth went right though and the electrical charge she was emitting went right into her body.

Instantly, an inhuman scream of despair and pain tore through Chiyoko's throat before her body slumped like the strings that were holding her up were cut and she slipped into blissful unconsciousness.

Sighing to herself, Thalia called her power back within herself and forced it to settle in her core. She could hear the slapping of thick soled shoes hitting the ground and then the whooshing of doors sliding open.

Taking her eyes off her unconscious friend, her blue eyes fell upon the haggard form of Ryuken Ishida. His face was ghostly pale and his breath seemed more laboured than usual, even when he finished a training session with Ichigo, that she was spying on with the doctor's permission for Isshin.

"What happened?"

Sighing to herself, she knew this was going to be a pain.


	8. Chapter 8

It had been a little difficult to get their group of friends to leave him and Tatsuki alone for a short while but eventually, after he told them to basically fuck off and that what they were discussing was essentially family business, they quickly backed away.

And now, while he was sitting upon the top of the High school roof, Ichigo starred at the utter shocked expression on his long-time friend's face. She didn't appear to be blinking, breathing, or even conscious of the fact that he was still here.

"Tatsuki? You heard me, right?" His voice was low, almost as if the world would explode if he spoke any louder. It was slow but she did nod…and then it was like her brain rebooted all at once.

Before he could even jump, Tatsuki had his shoulder in a vice grip and her nails were practically digging into his bones. Her voice came off as desperate and it was more than a touch shaky.

" _Was this what I was like last night? How did Chiyoko keep that calm during everything?"_

"Is… Is she really alive? Please, Ichigo, don't lie to me!"

"Yes, she's alive. We got the call last night and she's visiting the hospital today to make sure she's okay."

At the sound of sniffles, he looked into Tatsuki's eyes and found her brown eyes practically over run with tears. Without even thinking about what he was doing, he reached up and pulled her into him. It was a real show of how distraught she was and how much she trusted him when she didn't even fight his pull and quickly fell on top of him.

He only had the chance to grunt at her weight before he fell backwards and she came with him. They hadn't reached the ground yet when he felt Tatsuki's face be buried into his shoulder and heavy sobs of joy, pain, and relief escaped the teenage girl.

At one point he heard the scuffing of shoes upon the roof and the shutting of the door but then, not five minutes later, he heard the bell ring for class, although he didn't care. Taking care of Tatsuki mattered more to him than one day of classes going missing, she was like a sister to him after all.

Time ticked by slowly, and with each minutes Tatsuki's sobs become lighter until eventually they stopped in their entirety. And yet, they just laid there. Slow and steady breathing, as they both tried to gain control of their emotions.

When she finally let go of him and pushed herself onto her knees to the right of him, he pulled himself up as well, and just watched her for a moment.

To him, her eyes looked different than before. Less haunted and with hope now burning through a fog of pain that he had only seen occasionally in the past. Her arms tensed under his stare and he knew from that alone that she was clenching her fists to try and pull her mind back on track. It was an old habit of hers, from way back when they were four-years-old, that she never could break in all these years.

"Can you tell me what happened to her?"

Blinking at his sister-of-sorts, he thought about what she could mean by that question. He knew that Tatsuki has been able to see spirits for at least the last year, seeing as she goes shopping with Atsuko rather often when not with Orihime. So, she knew the absolute basics of the afterlife but nothing beyond the basic souls. But that didn't tell him if she could handle what was beyond those basic souls. Would she be able to understand the constant fighting between the Quincy and Shinigami against the hollows or that Chiyoko had become a hollow before returning to life? Was there anyway to tell her pieces of the truth without telling her all of it?

Looking back into her eyes, he saw the pure determination to understand in her eyes and it helped him make up his mind.

"Okay, I'll tell you", Instantly he saw her perk up and it made him feel so much better about what he was about to say, "Back when my mother died and Chiyoko was taken… we lied about what took her."

"What do you mean by 'what' took her? I thought it was traffickers?" the frown in her voice was rather heavy but he let it slide.

But all the same, he shook his head in denial, "No, it wasn't them, but something that is on the same level of bad." Locking eyes with her, he reaffirmed his decision, "She was… eaten by a spiritual creature called a Hollow and then became one while it was attempting to devour her it caused her to lose all of her memories."

Tatsuki's reaction was practically instant.

Her eyes widened in disbelieve and her mouth opened and closed as if she didn't know whether she wanted to talk or clench her jaw. But eventually she found her voice.

"There are more than just regular spirits? How can she become one of them, if she wasn't already this…Hollow?" The shock in her eyes were obvious but he could also see her eyes fluttering around beyond his head, as if she was trying to see them. He felt a small twinge in his heart when she seemingly ignored the lose of his sister's memories, but in a way, he understood it.

"Yes, there are three types of spirit; the regular spirits that you can see, then there is the Shinigami and the hollows. Shinigami are basically superpowered regular souls that look like samurai while Hollows used to be regular souls but, after a time festering in dark emotions, they can turn into hollows or in the off chance one hollow can turn a regular spirit into a hollow by eating them. This is was happened Chiyoko-nee-chan."

At the end, he made sure to say these words with utter seriousness. It wasn't a joke to him and not something he'd ever lie about. And when she nodded in understanding, he continued.

"From what we have managed to piece together and from what she told us, the day she died she also turned into a wolf shaped hollow." That got a laugh out of her and made him feel a touch better, "Yeah, I know, when I realized it, I laughed too. Anyway, over the next five years she spent it killing and devouring hollows. My guess as to why is because instinctively, she knew her own life was cut way to short and didn't want to inflict that on another, even to get stronger."

"Stronger?" whatever fear that had been inside her was gone now, completely washed away in the news that even without memories, Chiyoko was still Chiyoko.

"Yes, stronger. Hollows have evolutions; first a regular hollow, then the Menos Grande: the Gillian, the Adjuchas, and the Vasta Lorde. Chiyoko reached the final stage in those five years and then in the final year, she stole a false body that the Shinigami use to physically interact with the world of the living. When she used it, she accidently fused with it and somehow returned to life. But I know that as she'd evolved as a hollow, her negative memories have been returning to her. She'll probably slowly regain her happier ones the longer she is alive though, so she will remember everything again someday."

As he finished, Ichigo couldn't help but smile as Tatsuki lifted her hands together before pressing them against her chest. It was probably the gentlest action he had seen from her a very long time.

"You said she had powers, what are they?"

He couldn't help but laugh at that and she wasn't even being forceful like usual. Guess Chiyoko brings the best out of her.

"I know that hollows can shot a laser like beam of negative energy called a Cero, open a gateway to their home world Hueco Mundo, and some can regenerate. Chiyoko I know could manipulate Shadows back even when we were kids, so I'm assuming that power is still there, probably more powerful now though."

From there, the pair descended into talking about Chiyoko, spiritual powers, the different spiritual beings that he knew of, and even the possibility for her to develop her own kind of power. To Ichigo, it was an interesting idea.

He knew that Quincy used holy charms to create a bow to start with and then as their powers refine, so does their weapon, until they reach the next level of Vollstandig which can change the entirety of their Quincy form. Then Shinigami used swords that change form and then take the form of their inner spirit while hollows just evolve into crazy strong creatures that simply don't power down.

He had the charm for his active Quincy powers and then his Shinigami and hollow powers were still dormant, so he really wasn't sure what to do about an unaligned spiritual being. He'd have to ask his uncle or maybe his father.

Before the pair knew it, the bell rung one last time and even though they were on the roof, they could hear the slight roar of hundred of teenagers chatting as they walked through the halls of school.

"Did we just skip half of the school day?" the words came out before he could even shut his mouth.

Tatsuki just gave a cheerful yes, making his shoulder droop.

"Well, shit!"

To those that happened to be listening, all they would hear were joyful laughter of a teenage girl and a disgruntled groan of a teenage boy.

Sitting upon a tree in the park, just a hop away from downtown, Rukia Kuchiki frowned at her cell phone.

As of late yesterday evening, there was an urgent alert telling her that there was a high-class hollow somewhere within Karakura town. So, instead of sleeping like she planned, she had spent most of the last 12 hours trying to track it down.

The issue…. not only was this hollow's energy practically saturating the entire northeast side of town but whenever she gets to the epicentre all she finds is a bunch of humans.

To make it worse, she knew the source of the spiritual energy. There was no doubt in her mind that it was the female wolf hollow that she had met off and on again over the last six years. So now, the real question that she had, was why did the wolf decide to come now? And why wait until she reached the last evolution?

There's also the small issue of the odd feel of her spiritual energy. It still had that Wild feel to it that all hollows have but now it felt less…. monstrous. Yes, it still felt dark but it didn't feel as tainted as it used to.

And even then, it didn't feel _dead_ like it was supposed to. It felt like an extremely Dark and Wild human spiritual power. But how that can be possible, she wasn't sure. These were all questions she really needed answered and soon or that insane captain of squad 12 was going to come look for it himself, and that was something that she wasn't comfortable with, especially seeing as there were so many powerful human souls in the area. He'd probably try to take a few to run his experiments on and that was not a fate she'd wish on anyone.

It was then that her phone blinked again and the site of the hollow changed again. Now it was _inside_ the city's hospital. Somehow, she didn't think this day could get any better.

Taking calming breath, she gathered a tendril of power to her legs before disappearing in a soundless flicker.

It didn't take her no longer than a few minutes to reach the tall building with the Kanji for Hospital written across the front. Like many buildings in the city, it was made of a sturdy concrete mixture, with steel garters hidden within, and seas of glass along the walls.

Rukia had to admit, humans definitely had well-built buildings these days, especially if you count the fact that they don't have it built out of sekki rock. That, however, did not mean that she could enter the building.

It was rather common knowledge among those of Squad thirteen that ever since the construction of this hospital, no Shinigami or even hollows could enter the building. Although, if the spirit of a plus is formed inside it was gently pushed from the property before being denied the ability to enter again. This sadly, made it easier for hollows to hunt around the hospital, so there was usually an unranked officer stationed around just this building to purify the creatures. Sadly, they were stretched a tad thin these past few years because of that massive influx of soul in the Seireitei. It was good because it actually drew the Shinigami's attention to their jobs beyond fighting hollows and started taking care of the districts, but it was still frustrating in situations like this.

Sitting down upon the branch of a tree, Rukia let her eyes roam and her senses extend beyond her body.

It was thin, almost like a bubble, of energy surrounding the entirety of the hospital's property and yet, even with Gigai's no Shinigami could enter the facility to try and figure out this issue. Back during its construction, the Shinigami on duty had reported his lack of ability to enter the zone and after that, they started digging into the company funding it.

To all of their surprise, they did manage to track down the funder to one Haruka Saotome. And after that discover, they really started to learn.

This woman was the worlds leading mind in prosthetics and a certifiable genius. She was also said to have a heart of gold but also as stubborn as stone. She had come from a martial arts family, her father now in lock up, and had a gender-changing sibling that helped run a restaurant with their wife. Haruka was said to be inflicted with the same curse as her sibling which was what gave her a set of wolf features, which had instantly started something of a fad in both the living world and the Seireitei. Even Rukia couldn't deny that she had worn a bushy fox tail and ears for a few years back then.

Anyway, From the news reports, Haruka had been contacted by the current Head Doctor of the hospital and was asked to aid the town in building a new hospital after the old building had fallen into disrepair. To many of the townsfolk's surprise, she agreed.

That however didn't explain why the spirits of the dead couldn't enter. So, they continued to dig. And what they found was shocking to say the least.

It was well known in the spirit world of a pseudo-immortal that called Great Britain its home. They had gone by a few names during their life but everyone knew of Salvaira Slytherin. A girl locked in time, and with a soul that was almost entirely locked away.

More than one Shinigami had monitored the woman over the centuries and watched as ever so slowly, she had unlocked her soul from its bindings. The physical changes she went through and the powers she showed were all recorded and then distributed to all captains to inform their officers. Many had thought she would go power mad and try to ascend to godhood, but she never did.

It had come to the surprise of many when she aided in the construction. However, it also told them just why they couldn't enter the building.

Over the years of monitoring her, it was reported that over time, a field of energy had gathered over the woman and slowly started forcing her watchers to be pushed farther and farther away. Never did they figure out why, especially when energy bubbles similar to this one was also placed around most areas that she visited. These days Shinigami's can't even enter Great Britain to do their job.

Many of Central 46 were still pissed with the fact that a mortal was keeping them from doing their job but for most of the Gotei 13, they had long since figured to work around it.

Like now for example.

Rukia couldn't enter the building but if she extended her sensing abilities, she could push pass the energy bubble and feel the energies held within.

Instantly, her senses picked up on three signatures that did not feel like a normal human. One, she knew like the back of her hand. The Wild and Dark pseudo-human energy of the Wolf Hollow. Another, felt of fine silk but stronger than a blade of forged steel. And the last… was similar in origin to her own and vaguely familiar. It was entirely Shinigami in feel but also extremely weak, as if it had been sealed for years and had only just recently been released.

Pulling back her senses, Rukia let her mind wander.

Never, in all one thousand years of officially running, had the Gotei 13 sentence a Shinigami to be sealed and placed in the human world. It was common knowledge that unless ordered by the Captain Commander, officers were not allowed to stay here beyond 3 months and must return to the Seireitei for debrief before returning to their post. And she highly doubted this was an undercover operation.

In the most likely scenario, this Shinigami had defected from the Gotei 13 years ago and used a sealing technic to hide themselves. They must not have been all that well versed in the sealing arts though because anyone worth their salt knew that seals had to be replaced every five years at max. And with their sealed power, there was no way to reapply it.

Then there was the fact that the Shinigami's energy felt a tinge similar to that of the hollow. So that meant they either knew the hollow and defected because he couldn't cleanse her or he sired a child and she died but is now back.

It was all rather confusing and she couldn't make a decision without all the relevant information.

Feeling like she would be here for a few hours, she pulled out her cell once more and called her boss.

Sitting upon his small porch, Jushiro Ukitake watched as the Sakura trees blossomed and their bright pink petals fluttered in the wind. A small smile rested on his lips and a saucer of Dokudami tea held in his pale fingers.

Today felt like an important day to him, he could feel it in his gut and the Reiatsu in the air.

There was something calling out in the universe, telling those that know how to listen, that there would be an important event happening soon. And there had been a couple of those lately, one just a few months ago and then another that flared just six years previous. Usually these don't happen as often, maybe once a century, two if its important. But Jushiro had been feeling these frequent pulses since the 1970s in earth years.

Something was happening all over the world, in different times, but all had the same feel to them. However, for the past fifty years, he had neglected his duty to inform the Captain Commander of these flares. There was just something about them that told him that he was not to meddle in their affairs.

The one that's forming through, that one had a different tinge to it. Similar to the one 6 years ago but slightly different. Telling him that its related but not from the same source. To many this would be confusing, but with over a millennium of experience, he knew what he was doing.

" _ **You know the captain won't be happy with you Juhshi-chan!"**_

" _ **Yeah**_ _ **!**_ "

Chuckling to himself, Jushiro laid the palm of his hand upon the hilt of his Zanpakuto.

" _I know he will be boys but there are some things I simply can't tell him. He is a general and guardian of the dead, not touched by the higher powers of the universe. He simply can't understand it."_

A small wave of uncertainty but also acceptance flowed into him from his inner spirit. Sadly, before he could continue talking with the twin boys that called his soul home, his cell started ringing.

Sighing to himself, Jushiro sometimes wished the research and Development squad hadn't invented these stupid things. Although, he had to admit, it much faster than sending a Hell butterfly to relay a message.

Putting his cup down, he picked the noisy paperweight up before flicking it open and pressing it to his ear.

"Captain Ukitake speaking, what is the matter?" his voice was calm but firm, not giving away the harsh feeling in his chest at the lack of lungs he once held.

"Sorry sir, Officer Rukia Kuchiki, reporting an urgent update. As of roughly 8pm last night the presence of _The Wolf_ reappeared in Karakura Town and has not left yet, sir. I tracked it all through the night but all I found was a human female with an artificial limb, pale skin, and tattoos placed upon her face. After some reconnaissance, I learned that her name is Chiyoko Kurosaki and was recently returned to her family after years of being experimented upon, sir."

Blinking slowly, Jushiro repeated her words inside his mind, looking for any sort of clue. But he didn't have enough information to even come to definite conclusion.

"The girl, what did her Reiatsu feel like? Is it possible that the hollow is somehow possessing her?" the _like Kaien_ part went unsaid but he knew she understood what he meant.

"No sir," there was a slight thickness to her voice but he didn't point it out, "Her Spiritual Energy would have felt contaminate with a twisted presence and while her energy has aspects of a hollow, it is most definitely human. Somehow, _The Wolf_ managed to return the living and rid herself of the corrupted aspect of her hollow powers."

That…was definitely not something he expected to hear.

He knew of the group of former Shinigami that had gained Hollow powers before escaping the Gotei 13, there were even cloned souls that became something like vampires that devoured souls like a hollow but still were living beings. He even took part in the annihilation of the Quincies and dethroning of Yhwach. But never had he heard of a hollow, any spiritual being actually, being able to return to life.

Sure, Shinigami's could use Gigai's but that just makes a false shell for them to interact with the living world. Never would it be able to return them to life.

And yet, somehow, this hollow had managed it.

"Sir? What are my orders?"

Turning his eyes upon the Sakura petals as they fall upon the lush grass or float inside the koi pond, Jushiro found a smile coming to his lips. He had the budding plan in the back of his mind, it would take some time, but he was sure he could pull this off.

"If another officer finds out about this, direct them right to me. For now, _The Wolf_ is official off limits and if anyone dares to question you, tell them she is now under Order 2, Section 5, Article H. They don't need to know that this Kurosaki returned to life and didn't just absorb the hollows powers."

Rukia was silent for a minute and he could tell from the sound of tapping that she was trying to remember what that law is. It wouldn't surprise him if she didn't know, after all, it's was an obscure ruling.

Eventually she sighed and he almost felt like laughing but he wasn't quite that mean.

"I don't know that law sir." Even while trying to hold her irritation, he could steal hear the annoyance at herself. She really needed to relax a little bit, it was mighty unhealth of her to be this uptight.

"Everything under Order 2 pertains to the transferring of powers from one spiritual being to a human, Section 5 is about the doing so if and only if both the life of the being and the human in the immediate danger. Article H, is directly about the extremely rare case of a Human absorbing the powers of a Hollow."

The gasp from her was rather harsh, but fitting for it.

"If asked just recite the law as written, 'In the unforeseen event of a Human soul taking upon itself the powers of a Hollow, it is under the direct authority and order of the Soul King that the Gotei 13 is to extend protection to the subject. During this time, the officer must inject a trace amount of power into subject to stabilize the human before the corrupted energy of the hollow can drive them to insanity. The Office is then charged with 2 months Sabbatical leave to help the subject regain balance within their soul. Once the time limit is reached, if the officer inn question does not report to their designated captain a retrieval team is sent, while the subject is to be given the rank of Substitute. This law will also pertain to any humans that have to take upon themselves the powers of a Shinigami.'"

"Understood, sir, I will get rig…WHAT THE HELL!"

The next thing Jushiro knew, the line went dead.

"Well…I guess I'll just wait until she calls back."

Staring out from her place inside the branches of her tree, Rukia stared in a mix of amazement and utter terror.

No more than a couple dozen meters away from her, _The Wolf_ had been walking towards a beautiful white wolf with a glazed over eyes when she just dropped to the ground. It wasn't even a blink later when an otherworldly pressure started pressing down upon the area out them.

Rukia instantly felt like her breath becoming laboured and her body felt like it was encased in metal. The sound of hard thumping upon the ground told her that the pressure was so intense, it was killing the animals around them.

And then, 'it' happened.

An eerie, dark green, light washed over her from the flames that were pouring off the hollowed girl. The sight of it stilled her heart in her chest, as the flames flowed along the ground and licked the air around their creator. She even sees from her perch, as the air became fuzzy from the heat and power, that the dark flames were eating through everything it touched with no sign of stopping. Ash was starting to whip around in a power-generated wind, coating everything it touched.

As she watched, Rukia was wondering if this unholy power would ever come to an end.

She watched as man that had trace amounts of Shinigami power within him shouted something at the girl before falling unconscious. At first, she wondered if he had died of a heart attack like the animals around her but from what power she felt from him, it was still active. So, he was at least still alive, which meant that she could question him at a later time, if she survived that is.

Then, all she could do was watch in fear if she so much as moved, that this unholy power would rise up and devour her as well, when the beautiful wolf seemed to tense before the unimaginable happened. Arks of Electricity formed around the creature like a shroud of power, sparking chaotically into the air all around its body. It was just as beautiful as the shroud of fire but just as deadly.

Unbelievably, everything came to an end when the beast lunged for the girl's shoulder-blade with its fangs bared. There was a high scream of pain and despair before both shrouds of power dissipated completely.

To Rukia, she only had one response worthy of what just happened.

"What the hell just happened!?"

The first sensation that came to Chiyoko was the feeling of a slick and completely disgusting slimy tongue flicking across her face.

One lick…

Two licks…

Three licks…

Growling inside her own mind, the hollowed girl focused upon the shadows that were always around her to rear up and snagged the giant girl of a wolf. She couldn't keep the smirk off her lips at the startled yip, nor the giggles that filled the room.

Groaning in pain, she did her best to ignore the ache in her head, before pushing her body upward and opened her eyes.

To her surprise, she found herself sitting upon an unnaturally solid hospital bed in a pale blue coloured room with her family sitting around her. To her immediate right was her father, his hair was dishevelled and when he moved, he winced slightly. Next to him sat her twin and if she had to guess, he was just as stressed as their father. He did, however, let got of the hand of the black-haired girl beside him when she turned her eyes upon them. She did notice that Ichigo's energy felt more…alive than before. It felt like it had finally become its true base form and could now grow into something truly amazing.

She really didn't get to observe the girl before she found said girl basically lunging at her and started squeezing the life out her.

For a small moment, she felt Rage flash through her mind and she could feel the shadows within the room quiver in malicious intent but she quickly squished it. Even if she didn't truly remember this girl, she had come in with her family, and it only took her a few moments to realize that this must be her old friend Tatsuki. The girl that used to tease Ichigo all the time.

It was then that she felt the light shaking of the taller girl's frame and the dampness upon her shoulder.

Opening her eyes again, she stared into warm chocolate brown eyes that sparkled with tears along the edges and happiness burning within their pools. And for some reason, deep within her soul, she somehow knew that she had some sort of feelings for this girl. What kind, she wasn't sure, but something was there at least and it was definitely positive.

"You really are back, aren't you Chi-chan?" The hope was nearly tangible within the girl's voice, but it held an undertone of doubt.

Flashing a wistful smile, Chiyoko let her eyes shine with resolution.

"Not completely, I don't think I can ever be the same after what happened, but I'll do my best to find balance again. Is that okay?"

The moment she started speaking, she saw Tatsuki's smile dip just slightly but as she continued on, her eyes burned ever brighter.

"Of course! And I'll be there every step of the way."

The two girls ended their moment with a tight hug and to Chiyoko, it felt like something had settle deep within her, calming itself in some fashion.

When Tatsuki finally pulled herself away, Chiyoko found herself staring at a room full of people with wet eyes and smiling faces. Yuzu was holding onto her twin while Karin subtly pressed into her sister in a show of support. It brought a smile to the hollowed girls face to see, that even when so different in personality, those two can be so close.

Taking a deep shaky breath, she firmed up her mind before settling into a more comfortable position.

"So, can anyone tell me what happened and why I'm back in the hospital?"

" **You saw me outside of the hospital but when you were coming toward me, you had a flashback. Of what, I don't know, but your Soul fire awoke and it started running wild. I had to knock you out for it to stop."**

Staring at the White wolf, Chiyoko wondered if there was a hint of smugness to that last part before pushing it back in favour of the rest. Although, the lack of reactions from the rest besides the wave of sadness was a touch surprising. Thalia must have been talking to them for a while now to not get a reaction out of them.

Flashes of memory went over her mind.

 _A dark grin from Genma. The smashing of a rock upon the wolf's skull. The rivers of blood as it ran free from her friend's dead body and the chunks of flesh as the fell from the blood soaked Gi as it rested over her small body._

At some point she must have started snarling, because she felt a shock of electricity. Turning her eyes back to the present, she stared at her companion.

" **Keep control of yourself Chiyoko. We don't need you losing control again."** A heavy growling filled most of her voice but her words were still understood.

Pulling back her emotions and stuffing them into the depth of her psyche, Chiyoko forced herself to ignore the flashes across her mind. She'd hold them, letting them stew, until she found the pig of a man and gave him his punishment that she was vaguely convinced he deserved.

Something told her that being shocked was going to become a rather common affair.

" **You've also been out for three days,"**

She could only come up wit one response to this bit up news.

" _Well shit…"_

Walking into his home, Ichigo felt beyond tired. Not even a full day alive and his sister was already unconscious in the hospital.

According to his dad, they had just been leaving from her tests when Thalia showed up to talk with the hollowed teenager. But, with classic Chiyoko luck, it went way out of the realm of understandable in a few short moments.

When he had learned of the event, he had instantly booked his ass to her side. However, when he came upon the medical building, he saw the positively massive hole that webbed out from the sidewalk in all directions. There was ash everywhere by that point, showing that whatever had caused the damage had been some type of fire.

It was when he came into the room given to his sister that he learned the truth.

And it still made his mind ache, just hours after they told him.

Apparently, not only was his sister a hollow that came back to life but she had also been the woman that helped fund the building of a new hospital, an Alchemist in another reality, a freaking Demigod for the Greek God Hades, and the first fucking human. And all of it was because she kept being reborn with all her memories and some skills intact.

And like many things in his life involving that sister of his, it made absolute sense!

The strange power over shadows, the natural understanding of advance sciences, and even her martial arts skills. None of it was something she should have been able to do or even know as a three-year-old and yet she had.

And know he knew why.

But that wasn't what jarred him the most.

No…it was the revelation that Thalia used to be the Daughter of Zeus in his sister's second life and she had given up her humanity to remain by her friend's side for all eternity. He couldn't believe the courage it would take for someone to do such a thing and it made him wonder.

Did he have what it would take to help his sister like Thalia had? Could he do whatever it took to make sure she was safe?

He wanted to say he did, but he wasn't so sure now. He had listened as Thalia explained some things that she knew of Chiyoko's old lives and tried to put himself in her shoes, but he just couldn't see it. She had gone through things that would make any man, and some women, curl into a ball and just die. And yet, she carried on.

Could he carry on like that? To fight for something better?

He had been trying for the last few months, when he learned of the true spirit world and the powers he had. But now, it just didn't feel like he had enough.

Sighing to himself, he rubbed his temples as he sat upon his bed and looked out the window.

The moon was full tonight, its rays of beautiful silver light falling upon the world as life slept. And as he looked at it, he felt his Reiatsu sing in delight. It brought a smile to him, as his body relaxed under its warm glowing light.

He didn't need to find all his answers right away, they would probably just come to him as he lived on. Maybe, if he could convince her to train him when she awoke, he'd be able to come up with some form of solution.

His contemplation was wrecked when a pulse of spirit energy struck his sense. It felt similar to his dads, although much colder than he would ever expect to feel.

Turning from his moon watching, he saw the figure of a petite girl with neck length black hair seamlessly come through his wall. If he hadn't seen Atsuko do that so often, he probably would have freaked out but he managed to keep his calm and just analyze the spirit.

Her clothing was old fashioned, looking more like a samurai then any modern spirits that he had meet. There was even a katana strapped to her hip with light blue handle and a small icy blue ribbon attached to the end. Her eyes were black and indifferent as she scanned his room, searching for something.

" _ **Beware Ichigo, she is no normal spirit. She bares the uniform of the Shinigami"**_

Nodding mentally in understanding, Ichigo readied himself incase she tried something. He knew from stories of the Quincy eradication that Shinigami did not take to kindle to his people. But he also knew that not all Shinigami were willingly apart of it, nor were some Shinigami at the time. So, he'd wait and see how she reacted before making a choice. Besides, he was at least part Shinigami, even if the power was dormant.

"It's here… I can tell but where is it?" there was frustration in her voice and by the bags under her eyes, she must have been beyond tired.

Feeling a little gracious, he figured he'd at least attempt to offer his help. The least she can do is say no.

"What are you looking for? Maybe I can help?"

His words rang out but she didn't so much as twitch. With his luck, she was deaf.

"Hey? Can you even hear me?"

And still no reaction at all.

Feeling his irritation starting to spark, he quickly squashed it down before he did something stupid, like kick her in the ass to get her attention. Instead, he did the civil thing.

He reached over and thwacked her upside the head.

"OW! What the heck!" she nearly yelped before her head jerked in his direction to find the source of her pain.

Smirking at the midget, he folded his arms over his chest as he sat upon his bed and stared at her.

"Are you done mumbling yet? I only let three people in my life mumble in my presence and you're not one of them."

The heat in her glare intensified and if he was smart, which he was, he'd know not to piss off a spiritual being but there was something fun about messing with the small Shinigami. It almost felt like when he teased his little sisters or even the rare occurrence of Tatsuki.

"Wait…You can see me?!"

"I think the fact that I just hit you upside the head is proof enough, midget."

Still smirking, he watched as her cheeks seemingly puffed up like a rabbit or chipmunk. However, it must have been a distraction as he felt a small tendril of Spiritual Energy leave the girl and head right for him.

Calling up on a trace amount of his own power, he quickly snapped his hand upward and snagged the tendril. And before his very eyes, the small wisp of energy turned into a dark red ribbon that felt like he just stuck his hand into a bucket of Ice Water. It wasn't dangerous to him, just cold.

Both stared at each other, before the Shinigami finally broke the silence.

"Just what are yo…"

He never did hear the end of her question because before he could do anything, he heard a truly monstrous roar. His Body tensed at the sound and his mind nearly burned in anger. Never, not once, in the last 6 years had a hollow been anywhere near his family home but, from the sound of that roar, it was deadly close.

Before he could even twitch a finger, his window burst into shards of glass. Some scrapped his back and a few even slipped inside his body, but what really got his attention was the dark blue clawed hand that had enveloped his entire upper body.

"Well shit…."

The air was ripped out his lungs just as he was ripped out of his room through the window. He swore he heard a scream from Shinigami but he paid it no mind.

When motion finally stopped, Ichigo could only stare at the tall, almost humanoid, hollow. Its arms were long, fingers spidery, and it stood similarly to a gorilla; although much thinner than a real Ape. There was drool dripping from the mouth of its mask and its eyes were a burning sulfuric yellow color.

As he stared at the Hollow, Ichigo wondered to himself if this was cosmic irony or just utter bullshit. Just when his sister had been returned after being eaten by one of these freaking creatures, he was going to get eaten as well. It did strike him as curious, the wonder if he'd be able to do as Chiyoko did, but something told him that his path had already been forged and to change it would be a very bad idea.

Staring into the twisted spirits eyes, he glared at it with pure resolve.

He would not die…he could not die!

Bringing up his charm to his line of sight, he watched as the Hollow's eyes locked onto the small charm. Its free hand started rising, going for the trinket that was utterly saturated in spiritual energy, but it would never reach.

Smirking at his current enemy, Ichigo summon forth all the power he had currently and thrusted it up into his bracelet. He watched it glow once more before a potent shroud of navy-blue Spirit energy consumed his entire body.

" _ **Good, Ichigo. Soon, your true power will come forth."**_

Trusting the voice that hadn't led him wrong yet, Ichigo put his efforts entirely into escaping the creature that held him.

Reinforcing his arms with spirit energy, he forced them in between himself and the monster he faced. He could feel the pressure suddenly intensify but he wouldn't let it stop him, not now and not ever.

Screaming at the top of his longs, he slowly forced the gigantic fingers away from his body and when he had enough room to escape, he gave a sudden burst of strength and watched as the Hollows main four fingers be bent all the way backwards. The sound of bones cracking filled the air, to the point that they sounded like firecrackers.

Upon landing, he did his best to dash away down the road, to getting a chance to plan.

That turned into a bust when he heard a roar of primal rage behind him and the sound of bones crunching and flesh tearing.

Spinning on the balls of his feet, Ichigo came upon a sight he hadn't expected to see. The Shinigami, who he had completely forgotten about in the last couple of seconds, was right behind him with the Hollows jaws clamped around her. He could see the pain flashing in her eyes and blood was gushing out of her shoulder from the Hollow bite, forcing her clothing to adhere to her body.

There was blood seeping out of her mouth and her body was trembling.

The sinking sound of the hollow opening its mouth as it pulled small traces of the Shinigami's flesh with its teeth was the what forced him back into the present.

Quickly, and as gently as possible, he scooped the girl up before rushing her over to the side of the road; he couldn't afford to have her in the way. Just as he was about to turn away and face the tainted soul, he felt a tug on his tunic.

Turning his eye back towards the bleeding spirit, he saw guilt and determination shine in her eyes even though they were slightly glazed from blood lose.

"Grab my sword and plunge it into your chest, it will give you the power to defeat the Hollow."

Staring at the Shinigami, he let her word flutter in his mind before the words of that entity in his mind came back to him.

His true power would come forth…the power of a truly dead soul… a Shinigami.

Nodding to the wounded girl, he grasped her sword between his fingers before turning it around until the point face his own heart.

Taking a slow and steady breath, he put all his hope into this plunge or he was sure he'd end up dead.

The second the cold steel slipped through his fresh, Ichigo felt what seemed to be a rush of power before something shattered deep inside of him.

All he could do was let out a small gasp before his entire would was enveloped once more in a blinding light.


End file.
